Antigone Role Of Women Essay

536 Words3 Pages
In Sophocles’ Antigone, it is proven that rebellious women are a threat to men by using Antigone and her refusal to conform to societal social norms in order to challenge the accepted roles of women in Ancient Athens. In Ancient Greek society, women were expected to live, dress, and act a certain way. There were specific roles that women were to fulfill in order to be considered a proper lady. The “roles of Athenian women in the fifth century B.C. were primarily those of wife and mother” (Status of Women in Ancient Athens). Girls were taught from a very young age how to cook, clean, and act like a respectful and submissive wife. Regardless of their own desires, they were expected to produce children and take care of the house. Women were to remain quietly at home while the men were able to have more public lives, participate in social events and have an active role in society.…show more content…
She was “a virgin still, no nuptial song, no marriage-bed, no children to her name” (page 232). Women in her society were to become mothers and wives, and Antigone didn’t fulfill either of these roles. She died before she could marry Haemon and have children. Women were to be completely submissive and obedient to men regardless of their own feelings or beliefs. Antigone knew that she had a moral responsibility to bury Polyneices even though Creon ordered her not to. She begged her sister Ismene to help her, but she refused and said to “remind ourselves that we are women and as such are not meant to fight with men (page 193). Ismene believed that men were stronger than women and had power for a reason, and therefore women ought to be subservient to them to avoid their anger. Antigone's rebellion was especially threatening because it upset gender roles and hierarchy. By refusing to be passive, she overturned one of the fundamental rules of her
Show More
Related

  • Epiphany In Antigone

    1019 Words  | 5 Pages

    ” Greek author Hipponax who lived in the fifth century BC expressed this opinion about women. In the Greek play Antigone, written by Sophocles in 441 BC, the daughter of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, Antigone, is condemned by King Creon, for illegally performing a proper burial for her deceased brother, Polyneices, whose body has been left in the battlefield, without the help of even her sister, Ismene. Antigone tries to fulfill the law of the god’s, by breaking the law of men, and ends up killing

    Read More

  • Defiance In Antigone

    1246 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sophocles’ Antigone the Antigone is portrayed to the reader as a sort of radical character, unable to bend to the law set upon her by the King of Thebes. Though this may at first be believably seen as truth it is an over simplified version of what happened. She was forced to choose between breaking the laws set upon the people of Thebes and breaking Divine law. Antigone acted with reason weighing all of her options and assessing which would be a decision she could stand behind. Had Antigone been a man

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet Vs Antigone

    2046 Words  | 9 Pages

    In this essay, I will be analysing and comparing the plot, history and original staging conditions between 2 classical plays I have chosen (which are Romeo and Juliet and Antigone.) Romeo and Juliet is a play about 2 families, the Montague’s and the Capulet’s, who rival with each other. Romeo, a Montague falls in love with Juliet, who is a Capulet, at a party he sneaked into. It was love at first sight which leads Romeo to approach Juliet and they immediately bond. Eventually, they both marry in

    Read More

More about Antigone Role Of Women Essay

Open Document