Essay On Patriarchy In Antigone

Societal imposition of patriarchal practices upon women, creating inequality, is nothing new. History has shown patriarchal practices in a variety of ways: from strong differences between the rights of men and women existing in ancient Greece, most notably with the allocation of property rights and the jobs available to women, to the high beauty standards of the Song and Han dynasties in China, and to more recent times in the United States with unequal voting rights in the 19th century. With strong precedence from the past, gender inequality is still evident in modern society, with gaps in economic participation, unequal treatment through societal normalities, as well as low representation in political positions. These problems are more prevalent in less developed countries and societies, such as Yemen, yet not ignored in countries such as the United States. Equality between men and women is a long battle that has been fought

Creon, the King of Thebes and the uncle of Antigone, helps to deliver the lines that prove the misogynistic attitude of the characters and the time period. This concept can be seen in the lines: “And no woman shall seduce us if we must lose, Let’s lose to a man, at least! Is a woman stranger than we?” (Sophocles, l. 539-540). The female characters also show the strong roots of patriarchy within Thebes. “We are only women, / We cannot fight with men, Antigone!” (prologue. 46-47), is said by Ismene, Antigone’s sister, and helps to show the inferiority women believed they had in society. Submissivity was strong for women of this time as well, similar to that of present day Saudi Arabia. A line from the Choragos , “[Antigone] has never learned to yield” (prologue. 87), helps to shed a light on this concept which shows how the citizens viewed indifferent acts from women, opposed to the traditional concepts of