playwright Antigone the heroes are both equally justified in their actions and the reader is open to take other sides. However, through the conflicting ideals in the story there is an issue that comes to light that is similar to the modern day feminist. Antigone, in the play can be perceived as an early version of a feminist, although she is more inclined to view herself as a follower of the God’s. So, what is it that sparks Antigone to become this early feminist? The playwright of Antigone tells the
” 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
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
over somebody’s personal life. Sophocles tries to convey the same ideas through his play Antigone. Using Sophocles’ Antigone, I will talk about citizenship from the perspectives of 2 pivotal characters i.e. Antigone and Creon; in what ways do these two differ from each other, providing textual evidence in support of each view, and at the end I will try to define ideal citizenship, keeping in mind the play Antigone. For Creon, the king of Thebes, citizenship was about obeying the authority and failing
and more powerful than the roles women held. It’s apparent from the times of Antigone all the way to the times of Trifles that women are expected to maintain roles that focus on domestic duties. In both cases the men in power view the women’s duties as less important than their own. Because of the patriarch’s devaluing views of the women’s roles, the women are able to use those views to change their situations; Minnie wright escapes a painful marriage, and Antigone reforms the society's rule through
1) Antigone Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, is the main character and the tragic hero in the play by Sophocles. In the beginning Antigone displays a strong attitude that proves how fearless she is to achieve her goals of giving her brother Polyneices the proper burial he deserves. To be able to bury polyneices against the king Creon's decree Antigone is required to break the law. However, she states “I am not afraid of the danger; if it means death”(80) which represents how Antigone is not
Women of power in the ancient times were rather rare in a world dominated by men of rule. In epic works, women began to be more accepted as people of voice and power within society, having pride in situations of the heart and matter of their people or family. Sometimes these same attributes that were praised can be criticized by the society of their times due to actions that sabotaged their overall goals as powerful women in society. In the works of Sophocles and Virgil, Antigone and Dido are praised
Heroes come in many forms. In Sophocles' play, Antigone, the tragic hero is a women that believes in her heart and the laws of the gods far stronger than that of her king's law. This now brings up many characteristics that are shown within her. One of them being that she's up against an incredibly impossible enemy, one that doesn't fit into society's mold, and ends up being destroyed by her own pride. As Antigone defies Creon's law, she gets stuck between what she believes is right and what the law
Gender Inequality in Antigone Gender roles have been around for many decades. In the ancient Greek play, Antigone, the audience is faced with conflicts between equality and gender. The freedom of women in the play was very limited by rules and structures in the ancient world. Antigone’s gender played a great role in the story, and it has profound meaning to her actions. Regardless of the laws that were positioned by Creon, Antigone is resilient enough to believe in her own conscious to do what is
history, women have struggled to achieve a significant and impactful role in society. It has been difficult for women generation after generation to gain certain rights in their society and achieve the same rights granted to men at birth. Specifically in Ancient Greece, women had more of a role in the privacy of their own home than in public. “Antigone” by Sophocles and “Household, Gender and Property in Classical Athens” by Lin Foxhall both serve as sources that discuss the role of women in the household