Ismene's Indecisiveness in Antigone The play Antigone is usually thought of as either the tragedy of Creon or the tragedy of Antigone, but it is just as much the tragedy of Antigone's sister Ismene. In the play, Antigone and Creon hold on to two different ideals, Antigone to the ideal of sororal duty and holy rights, while Creon holds on to the rules of his kingdom, dominated by the laws of men and of reason. Ismene is obsessed by her role as a woman, choosing to ignore her feelings of obligation towards her family, and remaining completely indecisive and inactive, as she believes a woman should. By the end of the play she is left in the same position as Creon, without any family in the world and feeling partially responsible for the outcome. If Ismene had stood up and done something either to stop Creon from sentencing Antigone to death, or to help Antigone in burying Polyneices, she would in the end be with her family in life or in death, and be better of than being left alone on earth alive. Also the actions of the characters in the play are very comparable to the ideas and strategies of the Greeks and Spartans in Thucydides, written shortly afterwards. Ismene's indecisiveness and lack of action is starkly contrasted with the actions and beliefs of Creon and Antigone, the characters who are most often thought of as the victims. For Antigone, the punishment that characterizes her as a victim is the sacrifice of her life for her personal beliefs about the honor and duty associated with family ties. Antigone's death at the end of the play illustrates the fact that she is willing to die as long as she knows that her brother has received proper burial rites. On the other side there is Creon, who can be thought of as a stubborn and terrible king, but who really is acting just like Antigone, holding onto what he believes firmly in. As Antigone blatantly ignores the laws of the city, and only acts in the direction fulfilling the requirements of holy rites, Creon acts in parallel by ignoring the laws of the divine and only following the laws which as king it is his duty to uphold and preserve. Antigone clearly gives her opinion of the situation, and outlines her values that are so important to her while speaking to her sister. "Be as you choose to be; but for myself I will bury him. It will be good to die, so doing. I shall lie by his side, loving him as he loved me; I shall be a criminal-but a religious one." (Line 82-87) In a similar way Creon shows his true sentiment in talking to his son Haemon. When Haemon questions his father's judgment, Creon explains what is the most important of all values to him, "But he that breaches the law or does it violence or thinks to dictate to those who govern him shall never have my good word." (717-720). After looking at the actions and beliefs of Creon and Antigone, it is possible to contrast them with the inaction of Ismene. In the opening lines of the play Antigone attempts to recruit Ismene to her cause, hoping that Ismene will be willing to help bury Polynices. Instead, Ismene tells Antigone that as women they are better off choosing a course of inaction and letting themselves be subservient to the rule of men (70-78). Ismene also reminds Antigone that extravagant action is not sensible, and it would instead be better to let Polynices remain unburied. This preference towards inaction is not only remindful about the typical role of a woman during the time, but it can also be seen in Thucydides in the general strategy of the Spartans. Later in the play, once Antigone has been sentenced to the punishment of death by Creon, Ismene realizes how much her decision has cost her. Antigone's death means that Ismene will be orphaned not only by her father and mother, both of whom have already died, but by all of her siblings as well. When Ismene realizes that she will be left alone, she begs Antigone to allow her to follow her in death, reminding Antigone that "What life is there for me, once I have lost you?" (604). This is the exact opposite of Ismene's ways earlier in the play, when she praised inaction and didn't want to be involved in the burying of Polyneices. Ismene has showed herself to be a character with wavering emotions, changing her mind rather than being able to follow through on any one course of action. Before Ismene realizes that she will be left alone if Antigone dies, she states that she will not act in defiance of Creon (96), however, when Creon asks who it was that buried Polynices, Ismene is quick to lie to Creon and inform him that she took part in the burial along with Antigone (589-590). Again, Ismene switches from one belief to another. Ismene claims that she wants to die alongside Antigone (600), yet, unlike Antigone, she doesn't commit suicide. She is a character who doesn't have the strength to take this kind of action. Ismene is a woman plagued by inaction and indecisiveness. She constantly changes her mind, never once does she actually follow through and act upon any decision she appears to make. Ismene is the victim due to her own inherent weaknesses. Creon and Antigone are both marked by the same flaw: fanaticism. Creon does not yield to the traditional customs that involve the honoring of kin and the dead, while Antigone is so rash in her actions that if she had only been able to wait and plead her cause more to Creon, she could have been allowed to live. In the end they are both punished, but so is Ismene. She, like Creon, loses all that remains of her cursed family by the end of the play. Yet her flaw is not seen through her actions, but rather through her inability to take any action. According to Thucydides, Athenians value decisiveness and swift action, preferring to act toward a goal rather than waiting for something to happen. An example of these values can be found in the Corinthian speech to the Spartan assembly in Book I Chapter 70. The characteristics of the Spartans are in sharp contrast to the Athenian ideals. The Spartans are described by the Corinthians as too inactive and passive, always waiting for something to happen instead of acting beforehand. While Creon and Antigone are distinctly separated in their beliefs, in how they handle their beliefs they are very similar. This clearly defines Antigone and Creon in the play as characters acting more in the way thought to be Athenian, and Ismene in a manner much more typical of the Spartans. The characters' different approaches to the situation encapsulate the conflict of ideals that is about to take place with the Peloponnesian war. Many arguments are made that the play is the tragedy of Creon because his entire family is dead at the end of the play and he is left alone. Antigone's fate is not quite as terrible because she knew all along and anticipated that her own death was a serious possibility if she attempted to bury her brother. Ismene is now in the same position as Creon, completely alone, but her story of doing nothing while her sister dies is far sadder and more depressing than Creon's, because for him at least there was a point where he could rectify the problem. All he had to do was originally listen to the advice of the blind prophet Tereisas. Ismene never has this moment where she is able to really fix the problems that have come about. She is the only survivor of her family that has been spiraling towards complete destruction for a very long time. While she survives a woman such as her, doesn't really survive in the sense that she will have a life after Antigone's death. Her life before this point was centered on her family, and after this point the life that she will have will be far different from the one she has known.
In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Ismene and the Chorus can be seen as the well meaning but silent people who don't take action in the story. Ismene is initially afraid of the punishment she could face if she is caught and she claims that she cannot disobey King Creon because “Women? Defying Creon? It’s not a womans place. We are weak where they are strong (10).” In this conversation Ismene states that women don’t have the right or power to defy the law or men, and women “must do what we [they] are told (10)” which is why she refuses to help Antigone. Ismene does not stand against authority to do what is morally right, which leads Antigone to bury her brother alone and doesn’t allow Ismene to take part in the punishment since Ismene wasn’t brave enough and doesn’t deserve the same fate as Antigone. Like Ismene, the Chorus is fearful of King Creon’s punishment and they do not speak against him because they respect him. The Chorus also sees Antigone as rash and disrespectful towards the king which is why they mostly side with the king. However, it can be seen that the Chorus sides with Antigone in part of the play because they see King Creon’s punish...
Eventually both Creon and Antigone are destroyed by the gods (and by each other) through their own actions. Antigone is a powerful character, strong-willed, determined and at times self-righteous. She is contrasted by her sister Ismene, who is weak and powerless. Though Antigone is a powerful character, she has no real political power and is dominated by one man, Creon. Creon is both the ruler of the state as well as the patriarch of her family.
In the Antigone, unlike the Oedipus Tyrannus, paradoxically, the hero who is left in agony at the end of the play is not the title role. Instead King Creon, the newly appointed and tyrannical ruler, is left all alone in his empty palace with his wife's corpse in his hands, having just seen the suicide of his son. However, despite this pitiable fate for the character, his actions and behavior earlier in the play leave the final scene evoking more satisfaction than pity at his torment. The way the martyr Antigone went against the King and the city of Thebes was not entirely honorable or without ulterior motives of fulfilling pious concerns but it is difficult to lose sight of the fact that this passionate and pious young woman was condemned to living imprisonment.
In the play Antigone, created by Sophocles Antigone is a foil to Creon because their personalities contrast. This makes Creon a Tragic Hero because he thinks that he is a god but in reality he is a mortal upsetting the god's and he will eventually meet his demise. At the start of the play the reader is introduced to a character named Creon, who is the king of Thebes, the previous king, Eteocles, was killed by his brother Polyneices. There is a law arranged by Creon, so nobody could bury the body of Polyneices but Antigone, the sister of both Eteocles and Polyneices, wants to bury her brother and is willing to risk her life to bury him. She eventually gets caught and is sentenced to death by Creon.
Although Antigone has a bad reputation with Creon, and possibly Ismene, for being insubordinate, she stays true to her values throughout the entire play by following the law of gods, not so that she could appease them, but because she admired its value of honor and respect to loved ones that have passed away. This devotion and determination to give her brother a proper burial shows the true essence of her being: that loyalty to family is in fact hold above all else.
Antigone & Ismene The personalities of the two sisters; Antigone and Ismene, are as different from one another as night and day. Antigone acts as a free spirit, a defiant individual, while Ismene is content to recognize her limitations as a woman in a male dominated society. In the Greek tragedy "Antigone", by Sophocles; Antigone learns that King Creon has refused to give a proper burial for the slain Polyneices, brother of Ismene and Antigone. Infuriated by this injustice, Antigone shares the tragic news with Ismene.
She reminds Antigone that they are the only family members left and pleads with her not to commit such a crime, but Antigone refuses to accept the logic in her sister’s argument and will not be swayed, even though the idea of her death clearly upsets her sister. Ismene later has a change of heart and wishes to die alongside her sister in order to honor the dead as well, she even confesses to Creon, but Antigone rejects her idea of being a martyr, saying that her own death “will suffice” (Sophocles 136). Ismene then imagines life without her sister. The idea of losing the only kin she has left on Earth terrifies Ismene. She pleads to Antigone, “what life is dear to me bereft of you?” (Sophocles 136). Ismene would rather die than live without Antigone. In deciding to give her life for her brother, Antigone neglects her sister, and acts selfishly. She therefore should not have signed herself over to death as it has severely negative effects on her only living
This play is ultimately concerned with one person defying another person and paying the price. Antigone went against the law of the land, set by the newly crowned King Creon. Antigone was passionate about doing right by her brother and burying him according to her religious beliefs even though Creon deemed him a traitor and ordered him to be left for the animals to devour. Creon was passionate about being king and making his mark from his new throne. Although they differed in their views, the passion Creon and Antigone shared for those opinions was the same, they were equally passionate about their opposing views. Creon would have found it very difficult to see that he had anything in common with Antigone however as he appears to be in conflict with everyone, in his mind he has to stand alone in his views in order to set himself apart as king. Before he took to the throne Creon took advice from the prophet Tiresias who had so often had been his spiritual and moral compass, and yet in this matter concerning Antigone he will take advice from no one, not from the elders of Thebes, or even his own son Haemon.
Antigone also had a big impact on the play. Her display of hubris was a direct result of Creon’s decision to give one of her brothers a burial with full honors and to give the other no burial at all. Antigone followed the principle of Greek Mythology that said the dead must be buried or their souls will not make it to the afterlife. Antigone made it known very quickly that she is willing to die for burying her brother, stating “I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death, it will not be the worst of deaths – death without honor.”(1248). Antigone felt that her will to die for what she believed was right was honorable, so if she had to die to give her brother a burial, she would. Antigone’s hubris affected others around her just like Creon’s did. Her sister, Ismene, was not on board to help Antigone bury their brother when Antigone told her of her plans. But after seeing that Antigone was being sentenced to death, she decides to admit guilt to Creon, even though she didn’t have anything to do with
Antigone if she is caught. As the play moves on there is a building of this fear and pity that is felt for many of the characters that finally is resolved at the catastrophe. At that point the reader learns that Creon, the king, has lost his wife, his son, and his niece Antigone, all because he was too stubborn to give in as well as to afraid that if he did give in that he would be judged as an easy king. In a way this ending brings the two emotions together. The reader feels pity for Creon because of his great loss, but at the same time he feels a bit of fear because he wouldn’t want this type of tragedy to ever occur in his life.
In meeting Ismene, the reader is introduced to a wiser and obedient woman in terms of her understanding where she stands socially and realizing the consequences of rebellious actions. Ismene, throughout the play, serves as a tool by helping Antigone to become more resolute in her actions. Ismene has suffered just as much as Antigone, "no joy or pain has come my way" (16) Ismene says. Yet although she concedes that the sisters "were robbed of our two brothers" (17), she still accepts the will of the King "I must obey the ones who stand in power"(18).
However, Ismene is not strong enough to stand up for her own beliefs. The courage to stand beside her sister eventually comes to Ismene. Sophocles suggests in the Prologue, that perhaps she is simply not as hot-blooded as Antigone. When Creon arrests Antigone and Ismene, Antigone is told that she will be executed. Ismene also asks to be executed with her sister Antigone. Ismene’s request angers Antigone, since she doesn’t think that Ismene should get credit for something she didn’t do, only knew about. While Ismene also loves her father and brothers, she realizes that fighting has only brought death to her family, and she does not see the point of continuing the
When Antigone comes to her sister for assistance in burying their brother’s body, Ismene refuses. While this may be seen as an example of her cowardly, docile nature, such as how the line “You ought to realize we are only women” (61) is often interpreted, it shows that Ismene was aware of where she stood in Theban society. It is common knowledge that Ancient Greece was a patriarchy, with women holding little to no political power. Even beyond the fact that she and Antigone are women living in a male-dominated society, Ismene recognizes how low their family has fallen, with herself and Antigone being the children of a kin-slayer and his wife. A reasonable person in Ismene’s situation would most likely have acted in a similar manner, as it would be far too great of a risk to defy Creon. Ismene was simply aware that no one would come to the aid of Oedipus’s daughters when they faced “the edict of death”
Antigone is willing to do it alone. Antigone’s becomes dominant and she risks losing relatives that she will never be able to see her again. Regardless of Antigone’s love for her sister, her love for her brother is stronger because she is respectful about the death of her brother and expects special treatment, in spite of the fact that he is dead. If this weren't true, then Antigone would have surrendered after she had seen the guards and Creon had warned her of the consequences. Ismene is not given the same penalty as Antigone. This is because she was not as dedicated as Antigone seemed to be but was caught at the scene of the crime. Ismene’s obedience to authority demonstrates her failure to have a significant role in her family. She obliges what is said and what is coded, but Antigone does not do this. She would rather be thrown in jail and be killed than to be mistreated for doing what she believes to be the right thing to do.
The conflict between Creon and Antigone has its starting point in the problems of law and justice. At any rate, the difference is most explicitly formulated in these terms in Antigone’s great speech on the divine laws. . . . Against the limited and relative “decrees” of men she sets the eternal laws of Zeus, the “unwritten laws of the gods.” She couples her assertion of these absolute “laws” with her own resolute acceptance of death (460) (64).