Antigone 's Bravery And Her Challenge Of Breaking The Traditional Role Of Women

Gender and its roles are exposed in the story of Antigone as the central themes. Roles and rules are set and followed by several people in this era, this is appreciated in this text. Ideas of contradiction to these rules were not explored. In Greek mythology, several women held positions of power, but none of these women were human, making the idea of a powerful woman godlike and unattainable, as if to keep woman in their place, which of course, was always under the rule of the superior gender, the male. To challenge a patriarchy with feminism was dangerous, for both sexes were equally protective of it, leaving the challenger desolate in the battle against it. To rely on women to help other women rebel against this social norm was not probable, in the contrary, women held each other accountable for complying to these rules and punished those who didn’t. Women were their gender’s prevalent critics and suppressors, not only because they feared the repercussions, but since they didn’t have the means to rebel against it.

In Sophocles’ Antigone, gender roles are a major conflicting theme throughout the entire play. The setting of the play was written during the Greek mythological days, around 442 B.C. During these days, men were dominant and held all of the power, so women were automatically treated as less. Antigone and Creon portray the conflicting sides between male and female, and Ismene and Haemon portray opposing sides to Antigone and Creon’s actions. Antigone, Ismene, Creon, and Haemon each show differences in behavior due to their sex versus the actions each character chooses to take. Antigone tells Ismene about her plans to bury their brother, Polynices, which is going against Creon’s orders. Antigone and Ismene, have contrasting perspectives on

Sophocles, a great tragedian, was the one who gave Greek tragedies their traditional form. An important part of traditional Greek tragedies is the presence of a tragic hero. All tragic heroes should have the characteristics of rank, a tragic flaw, a downfall, and a recognition of mistakes. The seemingly tragic hero is Antigone. She wants to bury her brother Polyneices even though this would be going against Creon, who is her uncle and the king. When Antigone buries Polyneices Creon sentences her to death because of it. In Antigone by Sophocles the tragic hero is not Antigone because she only meets the characteristic of a tragic flaw, hers being pride, but doesn 't meet the other three characteristics of a

Women have virtually the same rights as men. However, the fault needing to be recognized in today’s society is the way that women are treated. Even in simple areas, such as jobs, women are put on the back burner. A woman is able to become a CEO of a company, nonetheless, she will struggle twice as hard as a man would. Even as an employee, women are statistically paid less than men are.

Antigone, however, decides she would rather please the gods than man and buries her brother against King Creon’s orders. She is fully aware of the consequences should she get caught, yet she openly disobeys, even against her sister’s warnings. She gives Creon no additional respect either as a male in a patriarchal society or as a king and ultimate authority figure. In fact, she calls him a fool! Antigone boldly states to Creon himself, “If my present actions strike you as foolish, let’s just say I’ve been accused of folly by a fool,” (Sophocles p.657). The strong will and defiance she exhibits are very characteristic of modern feminism.

In both tragedies, the role women play in the society is dictated by the tone of the oppressive patriarchal civilization where women are viewed as the subordinate sex to men. This demeaning point of view on women causes the actions they take to be feared. In Antigone, the protagonist, Antigone took suit against her uncle and his ruling through breaking the law. Her rebellious action surprises and terrifies Creon because a woman standing up to a man was unheard of. The last person to be suspected for a crime committed like Antigone’s would have been a woman, let alone the king's niece. A woman like Antigone willing to risk her life to fight against powerful men was considered more threatening than a man commiting a treacherous act. This degrading view on women attempted to try and stop Antigone, however ultimately a silly perspective on women couldn't hold her back. On the other hand, In Julius Caesar, Portia, Brutus’ wife, who appears to be a relatively strong female character within the

She is the opposite of Creon in those sociological views. This shows that she is very committed to her family and may be stubborn at times to fight for what she believes in. Women in ancient Greek society were looked down upon and did not have as many rights as the men and that may be a reason that their views are complete opposites. However, the sociological beliefs that Creon and Antigone both believed strongly in were the protection of personal dignity and freedom.

Antigone's representation of feminism broke all the Greece and her strong characteristics defy the inappropriateness of her nature. Antigone has given strong characteristics in her story and because of this she does not stand around while Creon's unjust law insults Polynices. Her boldness, bravery and, unyielding morals are all extremely important to her role in the play. Towards the story by the end, Antigone was punished for her actions; therefore, she was either going to be stoned to death or be locked in a tomb. Between those two choices she got put in a tomb and trapped there with no supplies. The person to do this to her was Creon and his response to this was, “...Take her go, go! You know your orders: take her to the vault and leave her alone there. And if she lives or dies, that’s her affair, not ours: our hands are clean.” (ii, iv, 710) She was buried for doing what was right and what she was obligated to do. She not only prefers this but her bravery, obstinacy and other traits destroy the image of the weak girl who is powerless to everything. Therefore, this is the reason why Antigone represents the epic

Before Antigone begins, the two brothers of Antigone are engaged in a battle no only of land, but of power. Their deep desires to rule Thebes and male dominating ego, only lead to their deaths; a tragedy that would affect more than just themselves. The battle of glory for men would not be the same for their sisters, but in 442 B.C. as Sophocles illustrates, the living women would have to deal with the tragedies of the dead; a task not easy to be burdened with as woman. Their uncle, Creon, dominates Antigone and her sister Ismene to the extent of mourning their own brother's death. Antigone has chosen a fate without glory: "I'll suffer nothing as great as death without glory," (Antigone line 112). Only a male in this time could die with honor and glory, and just as her uncle has forced a death without glory for her brother, although a glorious death is honorable, she has decided it a better life to die without glory than dishonor her blood and the gods. Ismene does not wish to go against the laws of her uncle, for "women were not born to contend with men," but between the bond of her and Antigone, she will defy the king(line 75). Ismene is just as horrified about the edict as Antigone is, but asks what they--weak women--can do. During this era the women had a specific role, and to defy that role would be horrific enough, despite

She instead seems to follow the beliefs of the new modern society emerging during the time of the play; that women should be on a more equal standing with men. Antigone speaks against the head of her household and a chorus of advisors completely disregarding the laws of the old world in order to support her belief. This in turn makes Antigone a very complex character. A character that is both moving backwards and forwards in order achieve their goals. Perhaps this is why Antigone is so beloved, she is a layered, complex character and not just a two dimensional

While Antigone is courageous, most women in that century are more like Ismene. Isemene portrays all the women and how they are meant to be behind the scenes, following orders without question. The masculinity in the society also chooses who the women are to be loyal to because only men rule the state. Bonnie Honig in Ismene’s First Forced Choice: Sacrifice and Sorority in Sophocles’ Antigone claims that, “a close reading of Sophocles’ play suggests that the two sisters act in concert in ways that are complimentary not competitive- or both” (Honig, 2).

Antigone and Nora had the courage to possess one of the characteristics that many women during the 18th century failed to acquire: braveness. While struggling with the decision to go against a man’s orders, Antigone stands up to authority and does the morally just thing: “But leave me to my own absurdity, leave me to suffer this- dreadful thing. I’ll suffer nothing as great as death without glory.” (Sophocles 19) This instance shows how Antigone was one of the few women of her era to face the

“No woman shall seduce us. If we must lose, Let's lose to a man, at least. Is a woman stronger than we?” (Sophocles.II.3.539-540) says Creon, King of Thebes and uncle to the disobeying but brave Antigone in Antigone by Sophocles. A patriarchal society is a community in which male domination over women, Sophocles explains the journey of Antigone in getting her brother buried and yielding against the laws of Thebes in a man dominated city. Antigone portrayed in the play is loyal and stubborn, she would do anything that feels ethical and honest to her even if that disregarding the laws created by men. She responds to the standards of King Creon by going against her own blood, not believing that women should subjected to the rule that they

Throughout history, women have always stood in the shadows of men. In many cultures, the role of a woman was to be seen and not heard. One of the first "heard" females was as I believe Antigone, of Sophocles’. Antigone, was the descendant of Oedipus. When her brothers Eteocles and Polynices killed one another, Creon, king of Thebes, forbade the rebel Polynices’ burial. However, Antigone disobeyed him, performed the burial, and was condemned to death for what she had done. Thru her actions she displayed vast uniqueness of a great female leader. In doing this, she stepped out of her place as a woman in a male dominated culture.

The role of women in society have been challenged intermittently throughout history, and continue to be confronted in modern day society. They are thought to be inferior to men, and believed to be incompetent of completing the same tasks as men. This belief, however, is challenged in various forms, one of which includes writing. A famous writing piece that challenges such views is Antigone by Sophocles. This play was a tragedy written to show the controversial role of women in society. Similarly, women in modern society are often compelled to act a certain way, but refuse to do so in attempts to avoid being assimilated, and to gain rights.