Antigone and the Characterization of Women Essay - 795 Words

Throughout history, women have always stood in the shadows of men. In many cultures, the role of a woman was to be seen and not heard. One of the first heard females was as I believe Antigone, of Sophocles’. Antigone, was the descendant of Oedipus. When her brothers Eteocles and Polynices killed one another, Creon, king of Thebes, forbade the rebel Polynices’ burial. However, Antigone disobeyed him, performed the burial, and was condemned to death for what she had done. Thru her actions she displayed vast uniqueness of a great female leader. In doing this, she stepped out of her place as a woman in a male dominated culture. She believed that the law of the Gods to give a proper burial to every dead body was more important, than†¦show more content†¦Antigone gave these powers back to the gods. Not only is Antigone courageous and highly motivated by her morals by standing up for her political and religious beliefs, she also protects her personal ones when she buries her brother. Antigone places family above her own life, and she refuses to let a man stand in her way of maintaining her ideals. She buries Polynices out of her own loyalty to her brother even after her sister, Ismene, refuses. Antigone is cruel to her for not taking part in illegally burying their brother. Instead of being caring and considerate, she becomes irate and at the end of their conversation says, Go away Ismene: I shall be hating you soon, and the dead will too, for your hateful words, Antigones flaw was her headstrong behavior and her stubbornness, which ultimately brought about her downfall and the downfall of those around her. Her persistence of course, is what forces Antigone to rashly take matters in to her own hands. Creon then decides to take Antigones life Away with her at once, and close her up in her rock-vaulted tomb. Leave her and let her die. To everyones surprise Antigone does not run from her death sentence suggesting a great trait of braveness, which the chorus recognizes before her exodus from life. The notion that a person has no say in the affairs of their loved ones and the fact that those laws were defied deservesShow MoreRelatedThe Chorus as a Homonym 1168 Words   |  5 Pages In Jean Anouilh’s Antigone and in Euripides’s Medea the Chorus is both a tool for characterization and representation of theme; however, the ways they function in their respective plays are noticeably different. The differences in the way the Choruses function in each respective play make the name of the character â€Å"the Chorus† a homonym, same name different meaning. The Chorus in Antigone functions to incorporate the technique of metatheatre. The purpose of metatheatre is to provide a separationRead MoreThe Conflict Of Sophocles Antigone1500 Words   |  6 PagesSophocles’ Antigone centers around a familial feud that develops between Antigone and Creon when Antigone decides to bury her brother and Creon’s niece, Polyneices. While Antigone believes that it is her religious and familial duty to bury her brother, Creon objects, citing the Theban civil war which took place right before the events of the play. Adhering to Greek literary tradition, Sophocles ultimately seeks not just to entertain the audience but also to teach a moral lesson, in this case aboutRead MoreFeminism in Antigone Essay728 Words   |  3 PagesFeminism in Antigone Although ancient Greece was a male-dominant society, Sophocles’ Antigone portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. Antigone, the tragic heroine, rejects the traditional role of women. As such, Sophocles punishes Ismene for embodying traditional attitude. 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The author had explained the different types of roles and the social position of the females presented in the Sophocles plays. The author has raised two questions in the article on the social position of the female described by the playwrights and playwright’s opinion on the women’s rights. Sophocles texts do not explain that he faced any problem in characterizing two genders; men and women on stage. Many studies have researched about