The Greek tale of Antigone is a the story of one woman’s strong will to seek justice and peace for her brother. This bold presence that she radiates spoke volumes to the expectations of women at the time. Her respectable actions of defying the state and even her own uncle, show her loyalty to her father and the gods. Furthermore, Antigone’s proud nature is a symbol of her strong moral compass as an ethical citizen. These strong characteristics shape her as a vigilante who has many admirable qualities. Therefore, Antigone represents the integrity of the independent female conscience over the power of the state.
The expectations of a woman's role in Theban society were mostly minimal and summarized by a brief conflict between Antigone and her
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sister Ismene. The conversation lays out the idea that Antigone is going to defy the state and do what’s right and bury her brother. Ismene's reaction of “We are women… We must obey. We have no strength to defy the State.” supports the traditional ideals that Antigone is defying. (388) This statement of patriarchal nonsense displays the type of mindset that Antigone has no regard for, even if it is from her own sister. The thought of being so oppressed that one feels that have no power against their own rulers is terrifying. The agonizing pressure, as a woman, to please a man in one's actions is unthinkable. Furthermore, this makes Antigone’s response of “Choose your own part” even more remarkable. It establishes her independent nature as a woman and her bravery to make her own decisions. (388) Antigone deserves a title of being a respectable individual, whose mindset should be shared among women. The boldness of having the gut to think for herself and be willing to die to respect tradition is amazing. Antigone acts as a symbol of defiance against the state in response to her loyalty to her immediate family.
For example,her courageous nature is displayed in the scene where Antigone is exposed as the one who buried Polyneices. Creon, Antigone’s uncle and the former ruler of Thebes, questions Antigone’s criminal actions. He asks, “And you transgressed the law?” to confirm that is was really her who committed the crime and directly disobeyed his orders. (388) Antigone’s response is one of remembrance, for her statement establishes how the citizens should keep their own morals in mind while making decisions. Furthermore, to warn civilians to not just accept the first thing the state says is law. Antigone goes on to respond, “Your law, but not the law of Justice who dwells with the gods… the unwritten laws of heaven are not of today nor yesterday, but from all time.” (388) The remark made by this strong woman is immaculate and very well thought out due to its pure philosophy. The statement starts by supporting her actions by stating that she did not actually defy the true laws of the gods, but rather the ones made by man. This thought process is reflected by her loyalty and the close relationship she had with her late father. Oedipus’s, her father, whole life and actions were shaped by the Oracle's prophecy. Secondly, her remark about how the true laws are the ones that last eternities and do not come and go with the weekday, show the influence that the power struggle between her brothers had on her. The fight between her brothers over the crown and their rules are indifferent to her, because they are her brothers and the law of justice for Antigone will rule unrelated to who is king. Therefore, Antigone’s thoughts and actions prove her to be a woman of defiance in the name of what is
good. Antigone’s bold actions as an independent woman prove her integrity and respectable qualities. These traits can be found in her final words before being killed for properly burying her eldest brother in defiance of the law. Through its simplistic structure, what Antigone states is inspiring and thought provoking. She lets known in her final moments before she is killed, “behold me, what I suffer because I have upheld that which is high”.(389) The parallel between circumstance of Antigone’s death and the crucifix is intriguing. Furthermore, both Antigone and Christ were killed for defying the state and acting on their personal beliefs. Thus, her final words would be deemed appropriate for Christ as well. Antigone having given that final defiance to the state as she is killed for being a part of the rebellion is inspirational. Therefore, her courage to defy the state and stand for her own thoughts certifies Antigone as a symbol of admiration. The trend of committing courageous acts occurs prior to Antigone’s death as well when Ismene tries to partially take the blame for the crime. However, Antigone’s ruthless and independent characteristics prevail as she states coldly to her sister “Your choice was to live… mine to die”. (389) This act of truthfulness and willingness to die by herself for her own actions makes Antigone even more respectable. The statement also proves that she knew what the consequence of her crime would be. And rather than try to hide or run from her actions she faced them with certainty which is something most could not say. Another admirable quality is that Antigone also acknowledges her limitations. In response to Ismene trying to stop Antigone from burying their brother, Antigone admits that there will be defeat but only after a long hard fight. This ideology is shown in this quote, “Then when my strength fails...I will give up”. (388) Which even in Antigone’s final days, she proved to be true. Therefore, Antigone's willingness to stand up for her beliefs illuminate her status as a proud woman. In conclusion, Antigone is a truly remarkable woman who needs to be more well known among literature. Her thought provoking statements and ideology present women in a way that should be relevant in modern times. Antigone’s actions against the state and the patriarchy present her as a powerful woman who is sure of herself and should be respected as such. Therefore, these characteristics create an essence of pride and satisfaction that all women should strive to accomplish.
... do, for all your crown and your trappings, and your guards—all that you can do is to have me killed”( Sophocles190 ).This kind of bravery ultimately proves that Antigone is courageous and willing to stand up to man and do so openly in pride. This kind of courageousness was rare for women of that time. Antigone dies bravely and in loyalty of her brother and because of this she is a model of a strong female protagonist as she clearly did not abide do gender expectations.
A young girl named Paikea once said, “In the old days, the land felt a great emptiness. It was waiting. Waiting to be filled. Waiting for someone to love it. Waiting for a leader” (Whale Rider). As seen in the eyes of Paikea, from the movie Whale Rider, a leader is a guide, someone who guides his or her people in the right directions, someone who does all he or she can do to improve his or her land. In the eyes of Antigone, from the play Antigone, princess of Thebes, the rules of the leader only seem right when she feels they don’t contradict with the rules of the gods. As she states in this quote: “It is the dead, Not the living, who make the longest demands: We die forever. . . .You may do as you like, since apparently the laws of the gods mean nothing to you” (Sophocles 58-60). Conversely, Paikea believes that she’s different, and that the rule of the gods is different for her. Although these characters display similarities by being defiant figures, the Greek tradition in which Antigone believes in, and the New Zealander’s tradition in which Paikea follows, differs significantly by beliefs. However, their culture’s discrimination towards women seems to be comparable. While the views on tradition, gender, and defiance are similar for Paikea and Antigone, the differences amongst them are striking.
Antigone’s opinions are distinctive as she clearly states her beliefs to Creon after being caught for performing her brother’s burial rituals. Antigone strongly believes that law has no validity when laid by a human as she questions Creon saying, “What laws? I never heard it was Zeus who made that announcement” (Antigone 450). This quote shows her reliance on the Gods for moral direction instead of the kings who reign over her. Although she disregards the law, she also accepts punishment; Antigone is able to follow her opinions and independently rule herself, yet also recognize the societal expectations of law and accept punishment. When being taken by Creon with her sister Antigone takes the responsibility of the crime all herself and recognizes what she did despite not being ashamed of it. One of the main views of Antigone that causes her disobedience is the belief that rulers should not keep loved ones from each other. Antigone clearly states, “He has no right to keep me from my own” this shows how she believes the connection between family overpowers that of a law passed by a vengeful king (Antigone 48). Antigone’s opinions contrast to those of Creon who is a gender biased ruler who sees women as lesser as he states “I will not be ruled by a woman” (Antigone 24). This shows his belief in who is credible within law. Not only does he have opinions on who
In the plays Antigone and A Doll's House, the playwrights discuss gender roles and how they relate to the characters in each individual play. Antigone, by Sophocles, follows a young girl who defies a law issued by King Creon against burying her brother, who fought against their town in the recent war. Creon orders her to be executed, but she ends up committing suicide. In A Doll's House, by Henrik Ibsen, a wife named Nora takes out a loan by herself, unacceptable for a woman during that time period, and tries to appease the lender who threatens to reveal her loan. In the end, Nora's husband, Torvald, finds out about the loan and Nora ends up leaving him. In each of these plays, Sophocles and Ibsen offer insight into the problems faced by women who are independent, stubborn, and brave.
... by vultures because she had a strong belief in family honor and the will of the gods, one which as long as no harm is done should be upheld above other laws. There are two competing forms of justice throughout “Antigone” which inform the argument of whether or not Antigone should have followed Creon’s laws through the tension of the city state and the will of the people as well as the gods. Creon’s argument was flawed in his disregard for public opinion and that he overlooked Antigone’s valid argument because of her gender and his pride. Antigone argues that a mortal man cannot override the will of the gods, a valid argument of the times. It is and was crucially important to fully consider the best interest of the citizens that is being voiced at the time of decision making, if it is not taken into consideration the city, as seen in Thebes will fall into shambles.
Antigone believes that a woman should be intrepid and strong, even at the risk of challenging men’s authority. When she proposes to bury Polynices, Ismene answers, “we’re not born to contend with men”. (75) Antigone’s response, “that death will be a glory” (86), does not directly address gender issues, but it expresses her fury at Ismene’s passivity. After the burial of Polynices, Antigone defiantly states, “I did it. I don’t deny a thing,” while being interrogated by Creon (492) and later comments that she was “not ashamed for a moment, not to honor my brother”. (572-3) Antigone’s gallant speech and defiance toward traditional gender identities audaciously shows her revolutionary desire for gender equality.
Antigone was a selfless person with pride as a strong characteristic of her personality. She possibly had feelings of loneliness and anger from the way society has looked upon her family from their past. It took a strong willed person who has no fear of the repercussions to stand up to a king as she did. To make everything all the worst she stood up to a king who was her Uncle and she being a female back in those time, standing up and speaking out for herself was not heard of.
Despite the male dominant society of Ancient Greece, the women in Sophocles’ play Antigone all express capabilities of powerful influence and each individually possess unique characteristics, showing both similarities and contrasts. The women in the play are a pivotal aspect that keeps the plot moving and ultimately leads to the catharsis of this tragedy. Beginning from the argument between Antigone and Ismene to Eurydice’s suicide, a male takes his own life and another loses everything he had all as a result of the acts these women part take in. The women all put their own family members above all else, but the way they go about showing that cherishment separates them amongst many other things.
The sexist stereotypes presented in this tragedy address many perspectives of men at this time. Creon the arrogant and tyrant leader is, the very character that exemplifies this viewpoint. Antigone's spirit is filled with bravery, passion and fury; which allow her to symbolize the very essence of women. She is strong enough to do what her conscious tells her despite the laws of the land. Many examples in the play prove that Antigone's character is very capable of making her own decisions in the name of justice. First, Antigone opposes Creon's law and buries her slain brother; because in her mind it was immoral not to. She does this because she is compassionate and loves her brother very much. Creon, however, believes that his laws must be upheld and would do anything to prevent any type rebelling. He is even more infuriated when he learns that a woman has broken his laws. He tries to show Antigone who's in charge by sentencing her to a life of imprisonment. Secondly, Antigone shows how determined she is by accepting her consequences with pride. She does not try to hide that she is responsible for breaking Creon's laws, moreover, she takes all the credit. All the while she maintains her strength because she truly believes in her actions. These sorts of actions ultimately prove that Antigone is courageous and willing to stand up to men, which was completely against the norm at this time. Her spirit refuses to submit to the role of a helpless woman like her sister Ismene's character does.
Antigone shows throughout the play that she is always thinking that she must do what is best for other’s and not just herself. She is willing to do what is needed to follow the law of the gods, even if it is breaking the state law.... ... middle of paper ... ...
These two examples alone give us the impression, which degrades women and the power they had. On the contrary, Antigone goes against society view and a norm to do what she considers is morally proper. Ismene, Antigone’s sister and foil of the story, is compared with her throughout the story since Ismene believes that adhering to the law is more important over family loyalty. Ismene says: “I shall obey those who are in authority, for deeds that are excessive make no sense at all” (Antigone, Page 22, Line 67-68).
Nora and Antigone were both very headstrong women. During the time periods of both plays, women were expected to be subservient and share the same opinions as their husbands. The two lead women in the plays show their obstinacy and ability to take care of themselves in many instances. One example in Antigone’s story is when she says (to her “stereotypical woman” sister) of her plan to bury Polynices, “He is my brother and—deny it as you will—your brother too. No one will ever convict me as a traitor, (Sophocles 18). She then goes on to...
“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, ‘It's a girl.’” (Chisholm). Where do women fit in the social order of society today? Many women today fit in the same role as they would have been expected to long ago. Though generally speaking, women have a lot more options today. The male hierarchy still governs most aspects of society, but with many more limitations because women are discovering that they can stand on their own, and have no need for constant regulating from their male counterparts. Patriarchal influences are the base of society. In Antigone Sophocles tells a tale about Greek values and women’s status. Antigone has just witnessed her two brothers kill each other; one brother died defending Thebes and the other died betraying it. Creon’s law keeps anyone from burying the traitor and Antigone is set on contravening this. Conversely, Ibsen’s playwright, A Doll’s House, is a story about an intelligent woman, Nora, who is misunderstood by her husband, Torvald. She takes desperate measures to keep her family intact but in the end wines up going out on her own. As the stories progress the both Nora’s and Antigone’s characteristics become very similar in that they are both rebellious, are subservient to male jurisdiction, and are resolute and strong-willed in their decision.
“...never let some woman triumph over us. Better to fall from power, if fall we must, at the hands of a man —never be rated inferior to a woman, never.” This quote spoken by Creon, in Sophocles’ Greek tragedy Antigone, adequately represents the opinion on women during the time in which Antigone would have been alive. Women were viewed as lower than men and were expected to be docile and passive. They were expected to never object to a man’s words, no matter if those words were to be unfair or unjust. Despite this, Antigone refuses to follow one of the most fundamental teachings of her culture by burying her brother even though the king, Creon, explicitly forbids the action, since her brother is a traitor. She rebelliously does what she feels is right, which cannot be said for her sister, Ismene. Ismene represents what a woman of her time was viewed as: weak and submissive to men’s
Antigone being written takes a reader back to about 441 BC. At this time, women did not have rights, and women’s rights were not even a thought. Women accepted that they were less than men, and at this time in history it was not