The Role Of Women In Antigone And Lysistrata?

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Imagine being born into a world where your social status is dependent on your gender, where women are considered inferior to men. This idea is exposed in two Ancient Greece plays “Antigone” by Sophocles and “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. In both plays most women are considered inferior and do not go against rules established by men. However, there are some women who do not let men restrain them from expressing their feelings. Therefore, the women in Ancient Greece were considered inferior to men, however, they were gallant. In the Greek play “Antigone,” the main character is gallant despite the societal concept that women are inferior to men. An example of this occurs when Antigone and her sister Ismene are holding a conversation in which Antigone …show more content…

Ismene says “We are only women, We cannot fight with men, Antigone! The law is strong, we must give in to the law in this thing, and in worse. I beg the dead to forgive me, but I am helpless: I must yield to those in authority.” This reveals that women knew that they could not contradict laws that were established by men. Ismene begged the dead to forgive her showing that she knew that Antigone was not doing anything erroneous, but she also says that she must yield to those in “authority” referring to men because she is considered helpless. However, Antigone is completely opposite, she replies “I say that this crime is holy: I shall lie down with him in death, and I shall be as dear To him as he to me.” This reveals that Antigone is not going to back down because laws established by men tell her to. Antigone is going to commit a crime disregarding the laws of the authority because she feels her action is correct. Thus, revealing that women such as Antigone were gallant in spite of the male concept that women were inferior to …show more content…

Did you think you were going up against a bunch of slave girls? Or did you think women lack gall?” Magistrate replies “Oh yes, they've got plenty of that, provided there's a wine bar nearby." This shows that Magistrate did not believe women were bold enough to stand up to men unless they were intoxicated. Magistrate did not believe that Lysistrata and the rest of the women were capable of taking over Acropolis. However, Magistrate did not strike fear into Lysistrata or the other women because they remained put in Acropolis, and went against rules established by men. Therefore, men such as Magistrate considered women to be inferior, however, women such as Lysistrata were gallant and stood up to

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