Essay On Feminism In Antigone

595 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Women in literature

Nina Cardinale
Ms. Randinelli
English II Honors
Antigone Essay
Block 2 Feminism: the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. It has been a major topic around the world for hundreds of years. Feminists generally seek to bring about change by fighting for what they believe in, and are often considered to have personal strength and integrity. Although women have gained most rights they did not have before, there are still some drawbacks to our special rights that make us weaker than men. For example, men's products are cheaper than women's products at most drugstores. Also, men are paid more in their minimum wage amount than women. In this play, Antigone has many qualities of feminist literature due to her belief in the way she was treated and her actions.
It was certainly unusual of a typical ancient Greek woman to rebel against a male …show more content…

The fact that Antigone commits her own death at the end shows her unwillingness to accept male conquer. Creon loses his right of authority in Thebes after she commits suicide because the citizens see that she was trying to do what was right in the eyes of the gods while Creon opposed her. All of her beliefs, actions, and all of the things that she is subjected to make the play a strong piece of feminist literature.
In conclusion, Antigone is a story that embodies what feminist texts are. Its strong and defiant female lead champions the fact that men aren’t the only ones who can be powerful, respectable, and the ones who make a difference. Antigone's strong feminist stance shows how her individual ideas and actions can be very effectual. Antigone's story is very influential and inspirational to many women around the world, and more people should look up to her, rather than down upon

Show More
Related

  • Antigone Essay

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    The character must decide whether or not to allow the employee’s cousin to work in their restaurant. The cousin must provide for his family through the cold winter or they will become homeless. The character also knows that the law requires him to check the citizenship of all employees and forbids him to hire anyone who is in the country illegally.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience, Machiavelli And Socrates

    1318 Words  | 3 Pages

    The purpose of this short essay is to justify Antigone’s position during the story and to conduct an analysis from the other readings to defend my interpretation. I will take in consideration the similarities and differences of all three other readings Civil Disobedience, Machiavelli and Socrates.

    Read More

  • Antigone

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antigone is almost hailed to a god like status, as Oedipus was before her. She is extremely strong and unbelievably willing to sacrifice everything in the name of honor and pride. She so easily makes her decisions and chooses to die willingly without a second thought. The minute Creon questions her on breaking the law, she states: “Die I must, -I knew that well (how should I not?)-even without thy edicts.” What is even more is that Antigone was a woman, a woman in a time of extreme male domination. This makes her even stronger of a person in the play and shows the growing strength of the gender that we know of today.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Antigonick

    954 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play, Antigonick, gives an ancient Greek tragedy a twist of modernity. This modernity throughout the play allows the audience to get a sense of the most pressing issue that Antigonick attempts to bring up in the mind of the audience. To me, the play of Antigonick addresses the modern day issues surrounding the political sphere in the United States. The political overtones throughout the play directly symbolize the struggle between President Trump and women. Antigone, the ill-fated heroine throughout the play, represents women’s struggle in the political sphere. Currently, women are fighting for equal rights, such as equal pay and right to birth control. This directly relates to Antigone’s fight for what she believes is right, which is to

    Read More

  • The Role of Women in Antigone

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the conflicts in Antigone, is the struggle between men and women. Ismene tells Antigone that since birth, women “were not born to contend with men,” (75) displaying women’s obedience and passivity. In the same passage, Ismene says: “we’re underlings, ruled by stronger hands,” (76) a representation of men’s aggressive and “stronger hands” that dominate women and treats them as second-class citizens. The only woman in Thebes who desires to break free from these chains is Antigone, who stands up against Ismene’s passivity urging her to “submit to this,” (77) and defy Creon by burying Polynices. By breaking Creon’s edict, Antigone challenges the traditional gender roles women and men play. In what ways does the theme of gender in Antigone, demonstrate the passion and choices behind Antigone and Ismene’s decisions?

    Read More

  • Antigone is a Tragic Hero

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    From her tenacity and personal strength in defying the law to her tragic death, Antigone captures the audience’s pity and sympathy. She is the tragic hero.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Antigone and A Doll's House

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    In merely looking at the surface, one notices right away that both plays are significant in that they avoid the social temptation of using a man as a protagonist. Looking deeper into the stories, however, one can see that in even more contradiction with society, the female characters go against men. Both Antigone and Nora step into the spotlight as the female hero who has been put in a compromising situation and is forced to decide whether it is more important to follow what society dictates, or go with what they feel is moral and just.

    Read More

  • Gender Issues in Sophocles' Antigone

    917 Words  | 2 Pages

    between her duty to God and her duty to the State, Ismene, in the third

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In The Odyssey

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the end, Antigone is punished because of her wrongdoing within her gender norms, since she independently made herself the role of hero and stepped over the gender ideal boundaries in doing what was right, instead of expecting Haemon to do so, which advances the view of how brave and loyal she

    Read More

  • Pathetic vs Ethical

    2004 Words  | 5 Pages

    Antigone is Sophocles Greek tragedy where we see a woman as the main character. Antigone is part of the “saga of Thebes” that deals with Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus. Produced around 442 B.C., we see the children of Oedipus deal with what fate has brought them. Antigone deals with the conflict of her burying her brother which would be in defiance of an order given by an egotistical ruler, Creon. In Antigone, one s...

    Read More

  • Sophocles' Antigone - Creon's Mistakes

    699 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antigone, a resolute and heroic female protagonist, pits her individual free will against the intractable forces of fate and against the irrational and unjust laws of tyrannical man like Creon.

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In Antigone Essay

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    Antigone points out many things , however one of the main things that it points out is how bad gender inequality is back in the old day. It shows many examples of how many societies were run back then. It proves to me how women and men were portrayed in the Greece society, are the equal or different, what gender expectations do they follow or fight against?

    Read More

  • Antigone, by Sophocles

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, it is greatly apparent just within the first few exchanges between Ismene and Antigone that there are various social issues surrounding the women in ancient Greece. The play raises many gender and socially related issues especially when looking at the contextual background of the playwright and the representation of the women within the play. When the characters of the first scene begin their analog, it is important to note what they are actually saying about each other and what their knowledge of their own social status is. The audience is first introduced to Antigone who we later learn is the antagonist of the play as she rebels against the protagonist, Creon. Her sister, Ismene, is the second character the audience is introduced to, hears of Antigone's plan to bury their brother's body in the first scene. Ismene’s actions and words give the reader the hint that her sister’s behavior is not usual, "so fiery" and "so desperate" are the words used to describe Antigone's frame of mind. At this very early point in the play the reader discovers that Antigone is determined to carry out her mission to bury her beloved brother. However, she is in no position that gives her the rights as a woman, sister, or even future queen to make her own decisions and rebel. Instead, her decision to bury her brother demonstrates her loyalty to her family, the gods, and to all women. Her motivation for those decisions will end up driving her far more than that of what the laws set by Creon have implemented. She shows no fear over disobeying the king and later says about the punishment of death "I will lie with the one I love and loved by him"(Sophocles, 2). Throughout the play the reader can see the viewpoint of an obedient woman, a rebellious woman, and the social norms required for both of them.

    Read More

  • Antigone By Creon Essay

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    “...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

    Read More

  • womenant Portrayal of Women in Sophocles' Antigone

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Essay On Feminism In Antigone

Open Document