Patriarchy In Antigone

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Recommended: Gender roles and relationships in classical mythology

Zeus fears Athena because he sees himself in her. Zeus overthrown his father and rules all mortals and immortals. Zeus is afraid that history will repeat itself with his future son overthrowing him. “For Metis was destined to bear exceptional children: first, the keen-eyed maiden Athena, Tritogeneia, the equal of her father in might and good counsel, and then she was to give birth to a son of indomitable spirit who would become the king of both gods and mortals”. Athena is almost as strong and wise as her father. Even in the world of immortals a patriarchy is kept intact. It is essential for Athena to remain as a virgin because the expectations for a woman even a goddess is different than from men. Women should be pure like a virgin.
I am a little confused with the birth of Athena. Another version of her birth is that she came out Zeus’ head and already wearing armors. This reminds me of budding, a form of asexual reproduction. Is this way of reproduction common in Greek/Roman myths? Since Athena came out from Zeus’ head I guess it explains her wisdom and strength because the brain controls it …show more content…

Haemon is stubborn like Antigone but he lacks courage that Antigone has within. As a prince he has no power to make a change; as a son he is subordinates to his father; as Antigone’s fiancé he could not save her. Haemon could only threaten his father Creon with his life to save Antigone. When Haemon finds out that Antigone has killed herself, he plunged a sword into his body and ended his life. In a way it shows that Haemon even lacks the courage to live without her. Haemon is not brave enough to live knowing that he could not save her. The deaths in this play are executed in dominos effects; one death that leads to another. Sophocles did a fabulous job in closing this play with deaths because after all he was a

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