Antigone’s assumption of the masculine role of hero transgresses cultural norms. Creon’s disregard for the obligations of kinship and the common good is equally transgressive. He is not only head of the family, but king. Ultimately, however, both isolate themselves from both the family and the city by defining justice in terms of the heroic code, which is destructive of…
In Antigone, Sophocles illustrates two characters, Antigone and Kreon, whose morals clash throughout the play, leading to their inevitable fate. Although Kreon qualifies himself to become a leader of a city which grieves from the attacks of Polyneices, Antigone’s actions elicit more admirable qualities, because they stretch beyond the unthinkable and challenge the idea of authority. While Kreon tries to become a good leader, Antigone also becomes a leader in a sense, much like her father Oedipus, however one that believes the rules of the gods overpower the rules of the land in every situation.…
The social conventions of the ancient world are not widely known, making it more difficult to truly grasp and appreciate Antigone. If one is accustomed to life today, the more relatable or understandable factor in the play would be state oppression and civil disobedience. That is not to say that there is complete gender equality, but it has advanced considerably since the Classical Era. That is why my considerations of the work were enhanced. The oral elaborated on some of the customs and roles that women occupied and the work they carried out. How they were always with an appointed ‘guardian’ who controlled most aspects of the woman’s life, to make sure that she behaved, whilst the men could do as they pleased. Or how, an heiress would not…
Sophocles’ Antigone brings to life the underlying culture flaws in the Greek city-states by showing how the idea of filial piety and divine law undermine each other and were used as a means to justify the ends. Athenian citizens enjoyed a wide range of powers of self-governance: citizens elected military leaders and held judicial authority. Every male citizen enjoyed these rights. Women were not considered citizens; they were the wards of their closest living male relative. In Antigone, Sophocles clearly defines Antigone as the exact opposite of what any Athenian woman was expected to behave; obedient to man and state. Sophocles fashioned King Creon with an undoubtedly…
Sophocles creates a strong sense of devotion and resolve through her actions as she is seen as a martyr for her cause. Antigone follows what is just in the world that Sophocles creates. He does not reflect that same quality in his portrayal of Ismene. Ismene is more fearful of Creon’s laws, she holds reverence towards her brothers, but is not as eager as Antigone to sacrifice herself to uphold a divine law. This is shown when she responds to Antigone’s call to action, “We are only women, We cannot fight with men, Antigone! The law is strong, we must give in to the law” (191-192). In her response Ismene expresses her lack of strength and fear, Sophocles portrays her as less righteous than Antigone. Although Ismene later retracts her refusal, Sophocles still frames this act in relation to Antigone. The nobility in Antigone’s conviction to the law of the gods is further shown through Ismene’s change of…
A young woman who is strong, fearless and has self-confidence loses her parents as a result of fate and is now being raised by an uncle who aims to uphold the laws of men rather than fear divine intervention from the gods. In championing the laws of the gods above the laws of the state, she breaks the law and risks her life to honor her family. This young woman is Antigone. The citizens of Thebes agree with Antigone that she made the right decision except for one person, her uncle, Creon. In Sophocles’ famous play Antigone, Creon, the king of Thebes, suffers from greater hubris than Antigone because he is selfish, stubborn and domineering.…
When U2’s Bono sings “women of the future hold the big revelations” (Bono “Get On Your Boots”), he is referencing the rise of women’s roles in Africa in the twenty-first century. Yet, this phrase can also apply to women in other time periods such as in ancient Greece seen in the Sophocles’ play entitled Antigone. In Antigone, the protagonist, Antigone, is a daughter of the house of Lauis, which is a noble, ruling family that has been through much affliction from deaths in the family. When a law forbids Antigone to honor her traitorous (to the state) brother in a proper burial, Antigone disobeys it to honor the gods’ instructions. This act eventually leads to the deaths of Antigone and other main characters. For the twenty-first century reader, it is important to understand how gender roles and relationships vary from time period to time period in order to fully appreciate the equal status of women in today’s society. The authors of the feminist play, Antigone, portrays the society’s perspective of women as vindictive people, the limitations of women, and the growing strong-willed quality of some women that start to rise in the respective time period.…
In Sophocles' Antigone, the problems with the main character's role in relation to her family illustrates that the ideal Athenian woman has final loyalty only to her polis. Antigone, the main character of Sophocles' tragedy, plays the role of protector in her relationship with her family. In attempting to fulfill her role she rebels against her polis, breaking the command of her king while attempting to defend the honor of her dead brother and family. Antigone's brother, Polyneices, dies while attempting a hostile takeover of his polis. As punishment for his crimes, Creon, the king, condemns Polyneices, declaring that the people of the polis are not allowed to bury him as he was an enemy of the state and if one was to bury him, the punishment would be death. Antigone decides she must bury he brother to allow him passage to the underworld. She comes to the contradictory conclusion that she will stay loyal to her traitorous brother through blatant disloyalty to her polis.…
Compared with her sister, Antigone seems unruly and passionate about her struggle. Antigone is the opposite of Ismene, being slender and outspoken. She refuses to obey Creon, who is not only a man, but also her king, her uncle, and her future father-in-law. It is possible that she choose to take a stand against Creon simply because he symbolizes everything that would block a feminist from progressing as a woman in Thebes. Antigone is essentially battling against a symbolic figure that modern-day feminists have been battling against for years. Without the support of her sister, Antigone decides to march on…
The well-known play, Antigone, is a representation of classic tragedy written by Sophocles. The story’s protagonist, Antigone, is portrayed as a tragic hero whose efforts to keep her family close quickly backfire on her. When Antigone’s brother dies, she wants to face the consequences and do the right thing in order to respect her brother and properly bury him. Antigone’s sister, Ismene, also displays the heroic qualities that Antigone does when she attempts to save her sister for being prosecuted. The classic qualities of a tragedy are displayed in the story, and these can also be found in many other tragedies later in literature. The important qualities that a tragedy always has can help analyze other novels and stories later are the heroism of the protagonist and the emotional connection the audience will sympathize for the protagonist.…
In Antigone and The Odyssey, women are portrayed as insignificant characters to show the quintessential role of Greek women. In Antigone, Ismene is shown as the ideal woman in Ancient Thebes when she chooses law over family by leaving her brother unburied, no matter how offensive it is to the gods. Ismene chose to leave her brother unburied rather than face the rule of Creon, the king, which supports the Greek vision of lawful women. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus’s…
Due to the previous actions of Oedipus had lead his family to have a curse, and now it is has reflected onto his children. The first conversation of the play is between Ismene and her sister Antigone and we see that they both discuss the “heavy hand of god is upon us” that has been placed on their family. Antigone wants to change the town’s people’s minds on how they see and think of their family by trying to do the right thing by the God’s and have a burial for her brother Polyneices like everyone at that point in history should have been. Sophocles tries to persuade the readers by making the prologue of the play the conversation between the two sisters by showing us that Antigone is doing the right thing by wanting the burial to take place and he always shows how Ismene is a perfect example of the role and attitude of many of the women in ancient Greece “we are women; it’s not for us to fight against men” and showing that she is afraid to do anything in case she is looked at by people like her father was. Whilst Antigone was wandering city to city with her father Oedipus she…
Antigone has two main female characters, Antigone and Ismene. Even though Antigone and Ismene are sisters, Sophocles presents the women in two very different ways. Antigone is an individual. She is independent, strong-willed, and courageous. Antigone is not limited by the boundaries put on women by society. Ismene, on the other hand, conforms to how society perceives women. She remains loyal and passive to men because she is frightened by the potential consequences of disobeying a man. Antigone says to Ismene, “You chose to live, I chose to die” (626). Antigone stands up for what she believes is right and is willing to die, but Ismene wants to follow the rules of man and chooses to live rather than face death by going against King Creon.…
Antigone was written during a time period consisting of male domination. Women were expected to take on a subservient role and do as they were told. They were inferior and had no say whatsoever in anything. Sophocles uses Antigone’s character to portray women who are courageous and can make their own decisions. He uses Creon’s character to represent the arrogant and stubborn viewpoint of men during this time period.…
The story of Antigone deals mainly with Antigone’s brother whose body has been left unburied because of his crimes in opposition to the state. Among the many themes present in this play, is one of the relationships between sisters and brothers. Although the main story focuses on the king’s choice to follow through with his political responsibility, the essence of the play lays in Antigone’s actions in displaying loyalty towards her sibling; her dead brother. Antigone; a tragic heroine in Sophocles play believes in her moral duty to the Gods and her siblings and chooses to stay loyal to her obligation as a good sibling towards her brother over her political liability.…