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Literary and critical analysis of Antigone
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While Ismene and Antigone are both very different, they both reflect the way women are viewed in Classical Greek society. Ismene believes it the total control of the law and that women have a place in society where they are “not born to contend with men” (75). She is so consumed with following the rules that she simply cannot fathom how her sister could bury their brother “when a law forbids the city” (54) from doing so. However when her sister’s life is threatened, Ismene steps up to try and share a “portion in [Antigone’s] death” (625) She is the perfect subject for any king to have because her life and decisions are based around the idea that people “must obey/the ones who stand in power” (79-80). All though in some ways this makes her
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...
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. Antigone was raised by Creon’s house after her own father went in to exile. Antigone is betrothed to Creon’s son, Haemon, further cementing Creon’s power over her. There is one aspect of life that Antigone does have legitimate power in and that is her family, especially her blood line. In ancient-Greek culture the women’s place was in the home, she was responsible for household things and often wasn’t even allowed to leave the house. It is because of this responsibility that Antigone needed to bury her brother Polynices even though it went against the decree of Creon. Antigone also had the gods on her side. It was an unwritten rule of ancient Greek society that the dead must be buried, otherwise bad things may happen. This rule, because it was unwritten and therefore innate, was protected by the gods, specifically Hades, the god of the underworld and family.
In Greek society following the king's rule and laws put forth was commenced and even expected however adhering to one's family and most importantly the gods is a compulsory act. By contrasting the notions of the two sisters- Antigone and Ismene- as both give importance to family- Antigone follows her dedication to her bloodline, while Ismene favors obeying authority. Antigone does not falter with her actions even when Ismene firmly argues against her stating: “Bury him! You have just said the new law forbids it.” Antigone: “He is my brother. And he is your brother, too.” (PAGE NUMBER) Antigone is determined to honor her family member although he was considered a traitor to Thebes- overlooking the King and the laws set forth. She outshines her sister, as she remains unyielding even
At the beginning of the play, Antigone brought Ismene outside the city gates at night for a top secret meeting. Antigone wanted to bury her brother Polyneices' body because even though he died in dishonor he was her brother. Ismene refused to disobey the king which is also their Uncle Creon, and she failed to talk Antigone out of doing the act herself. "Consider, sister, how our father died,/hated and infamous; how he brought to light/his own offenses..Then, mother...did shame/violently on her life, with twisted cords. Third, our two brothers, on a single day...Each killed the other, hand against brother's hand." (Antigone, Lines 59-65) In this quote, Antigone justified her reasons for going against the law describing how her parents went through so much, how their father was banished and due to this their mother had committed suicide because her reputation went down to the drain, even after all that their two brothers went into battle against one another and died in the process. Ismene was sympathetic, but still she was noble and afraid of Creon so she did not offer her help to Antigone.
To start off, Ismene tries to take the blame for burying Polynices’ body. In line 604 Ismene states, “I did it, yes— if only she consents—I share the guilt, the consequences too.” Even though she did not actually bury his body and it was all Antigone’s doing. Even in lines 612-614 Ismene states, “Oh no, my sister, don't reject me, please, let me die beside you, consecrating the dead together.” She is willing to sacrifice her life for Antigone's and even when Antigone tells her that she will take the blame herself, Ismene still insists that they die together. This shows that Ismene really cares about her sister and even risks her own life to save Antigone.
By saying “Is e’en this boon denied to share thy lot(Sophocles 1249)? We see that Ismene wants to share the death penalty with her sister which shows how devoted she is and that she willing to do anything to be with her sister. Even though Antigone denied Ismene’s request Ismene continues to try and follow her sister. Her feeling for Antigone will never falter as will her stubbornness. Ismene is willing to die with her sister and doesn’t give in to Antigone saying no; not only does this show how stubborn Ismene can be, it also shows that she has the willpower to seek things to the end. Ismene is a one of a kind character in this play because of her devotion and kindness to her sister. If the two boys Polyneices and Eteocles were still alive it is likely that Creon would find another way to rid the state of them. In that moment Ismene would definitely be the one who protects them while keeping the family from killing each other. During the conversation from the quote above the line “But now we stand convicted, both alike(Sophocles 1249).” Ismene said that they were both convicted. From this we see that Ismene “in her eyes” are sharing the fate from Antigone 's actions. She is willing to share her fate and yet again shows how stubborn she can be when it comes to being with her sister.
Ismene believes that women are “underlings” (76) and not “contend[ing] with men” (76) because she knows that men will always control society. This viewpoint of men’s domination of women depicts Ismene to be submissive to males while being fearful of men’s authority. Ismene is unable to have control over her destiny and decisions because she is fearful of men’s power over women, which leads to her refusing to bury Polynices. Later in the play, Ismene questions Creon’s judgment by saying “you’d kill your own son’s bride?” (641) which indicates that she is now aware that woman should have a voice and power in society. Her new understanding of Antigone’s message gives her the strength to query Creon, while additionally highlighting his cruelty. Ismene’s original belief of “submit[ing] to this” (77) and being a proper Greek girl, eventually transforms into becoming an advocate for Antigone. Her transformation defies men’s authority, the opposite of what she used to believe in.
Ismene is the sister to Antigone and the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta. In the tragedy “Antigone” both Ismene and Haemon have a great love and both of them would die for Antigone; in this case Haemon did. This is depicted in Sophocles’ tragedy “Antigone” written in the 5th century Greece BCE. “I shall do no dishonor. But to act against the citizens, that’s beyond my means.” (Sophocles 194, 88-89) Ismene stated this when Antigone confronted her at the beginning of the play to ask her for her help in bury their brother’s body, this would be Polis because she prefers to do what is accepted by the state. “Not at my side! Don’t think that! She will not die next to me. And you yourself will not ever lay eyes upon my face again.” (Sophocles 220, 762-764)This proves that Haemon cares only for his individual needs rather then doing what his father as told him, which was to totally forget about Antigone. Haemon and Ismene both embody Oikos and Polis because they both have different values on whether they should look at individual needs or the need given by the
Ismene was the other sister of Antigone and Polynices. She however, did not think that her family was important to her. Antigone told Ismene, “is he not my brother, and yours, whether you like it or not?, I shall never desert him, never,” (1.1.39) but still Ismene didn’t want to help. Well, maybe she did but she refused to help Antigone bury their brother because she didn’t want to sacrifice her life. She didn’t like the idea of going against her uncle’s orders like as she says here “ you cannot mean....to bury him? Against the order,” (1.1.38). That showed that she didn’t have enough courage to go against the orders. However, towards the ending of the story she wanted to be a part of the burial but she wasn’t so she didn’t get any credit for it. Antigone however, did bury Polynices all by herself and then later committed suicide.
Although ancient Greece was a male-dominate society, Sophocles' work Antigone, portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. In this famous tragedy, Sophocles uses the characters Ismene and Antigone to show the different characteristics and roles that woman are typical of interpreting. Traditionally women are characterized as weak and subordinate and Ismene is portrayed in this way. Through the character of Antigone, women finally get to present realistic viewpoints about their character.
Elizabeth Bobrick’s Sophocles’ Antigone and the Self-Isolation of the Tragic Hero declares “the heroic code may be summarized as follows: I protect my philoi—a term that includes family, kin, loved ones, and loyal community members—and they honor me. To hate my friend is to hate me. To help my enemy is to harm me. Being dishonored by my philoi is the equivalent of death. I will either kill them, or myself, or both.” This can explain Antigone’s excessive desire to bury her brother and even further be supported in lines 25-28 when Antigone challenges her sister’s loyalty. Aristotle himself said that a tragic hero should be neither better nor worse normally than a normal person. With that being said Antigone’s sister, Ismene, was in the same position as her. Originally invoking a sense of naturalism this changes with Ismene’s refusal to help bury their brother. The lack of support for Antigone’s plan leaves her no choice, but distances herself from her sister who obviously doesn’t share the same family loyalty beliefs as her (Lines 77-81). Ismene later in the play tries to claim some guilt in order to help Antigone’s cause. Yet again, Antigone refused to allow her sister to assume any punishment for her crime. Sophocles, Peter Meineck, Paul Woodruff’s Theban plays acknowledges Antigone would rather be dead with her brother than alive with a husband (Line 55-58). This is
In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, it is greatly apparent just within the first few exchanges between Ismene and Antigone that there are various social issues surrounding the women in ancient Greece. The play raises many gender and socially related issues especially when looking at the contextual background of the playwright and the representation of the women within the play. When the characters of the first scene begin their analog, it is important to note what they are actually saying about each other and what their knowledge of their own social status is. The audience is first introduced to Antigone who we later learn is the antagonist of the play as she rebels against the protagonist, Creon. Her sister, Ismene, is the second character the audience is introduced to, hears of Antigone's plan to bury their brother's body in the first scene. Ismene’s actions and words give the reader the hint that her sister’s behavior is not usual, "so fiery" and "so desperate" are the words used to describe Antigone's frame of mind. At this very early point in the play the reader discovers that Antigone is determined to carry out her mission to bury her beloved brother. However, she is in no position that gives her the rights as a woman, sister, or even future queen to make her own decisions and rebel. Instead, her decision to bury her brother demonstrates her loyalty to her family, the gods, and to all women. Her motivation for those decisions will end up driving her far more than that of what the laws set by Creon have implemented. She shows no fear over disobeying the king and later says about the punishment of death "I will lie with the one I love and loved by him"(Sophocles, 2). Throughout the play the reader can see the viewpoint of an obedient woman, a rebellious woman, and the social norms required for both of them.
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 and Ismene’s personalities are quite different. Antigone is more risk-taking. She likes to stand up for what's right even if it means getting in trouble. Antigone likes to please the gods not the law, “Ismene, I am going to bury him… Creon is not enough to stand in my way.” (Antigone). She likes to do her own thing. Ismene is more of a conformist. She likes to follow the rules, “Bury him! You have
Antigone, the character, is a tragic hero because we care about her. Ismene and Haimon help us care about Antigone by making her feel worthy of loving. And with out this her plan to bury her brother seems irrelevant to the reader because we can care less about her. Ismene, although weak and timid, is in the story to illustrate that Antigone is capable of being loved. "We are only women, We cannot fight with men, Antigone" (Sophocles 881). Another reason Ismene is incorporated to Antigone is to show exactly strong-willed Antigone is. Haimon is there to show that Antigone has a life and a future outside her purpose. What else Haimon brings to the story is he makes Creon look like a fool, but more importantly he validates Antigones cause. So without Antigone having to live for she would have nothing to lose, therefore, her death would not be tragic.