Women of Honor In the world, there exist people who have beliefs strong enough that they are willing do die for them. Their convictions may be for their country, their family, or their religion. Some people chose to die for their beliefs while others are just objects of fate and die because of their beliefs while in the hands of others. For example, American soldiers don't often chose to die. They die because they are standing up for what they believe in and are killed because they are protecting what they believe in. They know they can potentially die but don't take their own lives. On the other hand, suicide bombers offer themselves fully as they kill themselves for their beliefs. People have been standing up and fighting for their beliefs for centuries in order to defend and protect their valued views. If they die protecting their sentiments, then they have died noble deaths. In Greek Literature, two women face their fates of dying by defending what they believe in. Ipheigeneia loves her father and in order to win the Trojan War, she must be sacrificed. She resists her fate at first but as expected she allows her father to do the necessary. Ipheigeneia is sacrificed. Additionally, Antigone faces her fate defending her brother Polyneices. He was murdered by his own brother; however, he was considered a traitor since he returned from exile and therefore was not allowed be buried properly. Antigone felt as his sister she must give him the proper burial. Kreon -the king of Thebes- was furious and sentenced her to death Later, he changes his decision but it is too late as she has taken her own life. These young, brave women are obviously similar while maintaining differences in their deaths. Iphigeneia at Aulis and Antigone are very important writings in Greek Literature. Both involve a young women who dies in hopes of helping others. Antigone and Iphigeneia believe that they are dying for noble causes. The two brave women die for love. Their loves; however, vary. Both are sacrifices in a sense as they both die for a cause. They give their lives so that others can maintain their honor. Antigone realizes the importance of remaining loyal to family and she will maintain her dignity and states " It will not be the worst of deaths - death without honor" (p.
... do, for all your crown and your trappings, and your guards—all that you can do is to have me killed”( Sophocles190 ).This kind of bravery ultimately proves that Antigone is courageous and willing to stand up to man and do so openly in pride. This kind of courageousness was rare for women of that time. Antigone dies bravely and in loyalty of her brother and because of this she is a model of a strong female protagonist as she clearly did not abide do gender expectations.
Throughout Antigone, Electra, and Medea, many double standards between men and women surface. These become obvious when one selects a hero from these plays, for upon choosing, then one must rationalize his or her choice. The question then arises as to what characteristics make up the hero. How does the character win fame? What exactly is excellent about that character? These questions must be answered in order to choose a hero in these Greek tragedies.
“Gender,” throughout the years has been defined and redefined by societies, and individuals. “Gender roles,” have, and still do contribute to these definitions. Literature contains prime examples of how gender roles were perceived in different time periods, showing readers the views of an author through the characters and their traits. Sophocles’ Antigone is a Greek tragedy, that heavily depicts the gender roles found in ancient Greek society, also providing insight into what would be seen as “normal” and “abnormal” behavior in relation to gender in Greece. In the play, Antigone, a daughter of the late King of Thebes, Oedipus, becomes distraught when she learns that her two brothers have killed each other, and furthermore, that her uncle and newfound king, Creon has forbidden the burial of one of her brothers.
Antigone believes that a woman should be intrepid and strong, even at the risk of challenging men’s authority. When she proposes to bury Polynices, Ismene answers, “we’re not born to contend with men”. (75) Antigone’s response, “that death will be a glory” (86), does not directly address gender issues, but it expresses her fury at Ismene’s passivity. After the burial of Polynices, Antigone defiantly states, “I did it. I don’t deny a thing,” while being interrogated by Creon (492) and later comments that she was “not ashamed for a moment, not to honor my brother”. (572-3) Antigone’s gallant speech and defiance toward traditional gender identities audaciously shows her revolutionary desire for gender equality.
At the law firm of Theban Associates, one of the lead partners is Antigone, she is a hard worker whose intentions usually consist of reaching a compromise between the government and her client. As a defense attorney, her line of work is quite demanding and difficult since she is a female working in a male dominated world. While being placed in this position, Antigone is able to appreciate how difficult things are for a woman in society, even in today's world. She realizes that regardless of the anti-gender bias laws that have been passed, society still views women as baby-machines and they are constantly degraded and viewed as inferior to man.
As a woman in Ancient Greece, Antigone is limited to cooking, cleaning, and caring for children. Along with her responsibilities at home, Antigone, among other women, is crucial to the burial process of ancient Greece. The women helped plan all tasks before one is buried. After Antigone's brothers, Polynices and Eteocles, were killed it was immediately time to bury them. As Antigone tries to bury her brother, Creon declares “in this city he shall be neither buried nor mourned by anyone.”(Ant. 206-8). The King’s law leaves Antigone and Ismene with a decision, to break Creon’s laws and face death, or to let their brother remain stuck wandering outside the underworld. Antigone quickly makes the bold decision to bury her brother and face the fury of only a king versus the gods. Sophocles changes Greek theatre by making a woman stronger than a man. Antigone was able to stand up for herself and the rights of her family. She goes behind the King’s back, knowing her punishment, just to make sure her brother is taken care of. She exemplifies confidence in declaring “I assert that I did it; I do not deny it” (Ant. 453) She is fearless towards Creon, a man who could have her killed in an instant. Sophocles is thus proven as trailblazing because of how he writes a woman as strong a
...e worst of deaths – death without honor.” In a way Antigone is blaming Ismene for not helping her but in a way she is not.
Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most prominent African-American civil rights leaders, said, “man who won't die for something is not fit to live.” In the play Antigone, Sophocles uses Antigone and Haimon’s rebellious characters as they stand up to Kreon’s authority to risk their lives for their own respective beliefs. Similar to the rebellious characters in Antigone, in Chinua Achebe’s novel, Things Fall Apart, Nwoye and Okonkwo disobey authority and voice their own opinions. Achebe and Sophocles use characters who challenge authority to reveal the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs, regardless of the consequences. Antigone risks her own life to bury her brother, therefore, she goes against Kreon’s edict that Polyneices should be left unburied; she believes Polyneices deserves to reach the afterlife.
Many people think Antigone is the tragic hero; with her courage, she is able to rebel against Creon’s ridiculous decision and receive respect and admiration from fellow citizens of Thebes for doing so. Antigone also has a tragic flaw of too much bravery, leading to her death. One may easily think that Antigone is the tragic hero of the play, but she lacks a vital component of a tragic hero. Antigone does not realize or acknowledge that her tragic flaw has lead to her downfall. Not only does she refuse to repent on her flaw, she blames others for her downfall. Antigone claims that “The blasphemy of my birth has followed me”(226). She blames her father and brother, Oedipus, for giving birth to her and placing her in the situation she is in; he was the one who was the reason behind the war, which was the reason for Antigone’s brave decision. Antigone is proud of her actions and criticizes her mother and father for engaging in inappropriate activity that caused the entire conflict. Not for even one moment does she think over her actions and realize that her bravery is foolish in some ways and that her stubborn fearlessness is the reason for her downfall. The Choragos tells her, “You have made your choice, Your death is the doing of your own conscious hand.” (227). However, Antigone responds by asserting that
When Antigone buries her brother against the state’s laws, she finds herself in front of Creon suffering “at the hands of what breed of men- all for [her] reverence for the gods” (1033-34). By following only the laws of the gods and not of men too Antigone demonstrates her loyalty to only her femininity. But holding feminine ideals above rational actions does not stop masculine duties from falling onto her. In consequence, soon Antigone wonders if “[she would] never have taken this ordeal upon [herself]” if she would have had a child or husband, after the reality of her actions comes to light as she is about to face her death sentence (998). Femininity means more than what Antigone was willing to stand up against the government for and she finally realizes that her decisions to focus only on the feminine laws she wanted. Only at the doors of death does she see that by taking a side so diligently like her counterpart Creon is not worth the pain it brings. Although Antigone does not regret her actions, she begins to see that she covets the feminine laws rather than seeing the sides equally brings about suffering rather than
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.
The Antigone is widely thought of as the tragic heroine of the play bearing her name. She would seem to fit the part in light of the fact that she dies doing what is right. Antigone buries her brother Polynices, but Creon does not like her doing that one bit. Creon says to Antigone, "Why did you try to bury your brother? I had forbidden it. You heard my edict. It was proclaimed throughout Thebes. You read my edict. It was posted up on the city walls." (Pg. 44) Antigone buries her brother without worrying about what might happen to her. By doing this, she takes into consideration death and other consequences for burying her brother. Antigone follows what she thinks is right according to the gods. She is the supporter of her actions in the burial of Polynices.
The notion of honor and justice is prevalent throughout all types of literature. In Greek culture, honor is essential for creating a solid foundation within a society and family. Honor will follow you until the day you perish, and beyond. The honor for men in Greece is spiritual in that loved ones show respect to the deceased by giving them a proper burial. Nevertheless, when a man acts upon betrayal of the city, that man looses the privilege to die in such honor. This is evident in the life of Antigone when her two brothers, Polyneices and Eteocles, both die at each other’s hands at war when deciding the ruler of Thebes. Polyneices cannot have a proper burial, because the new king, Antigone’s uncle, Creon created a law that decrees that anyone who tries to give Polyneices a proper burial will have a dire consequence: death. In Sophocles’ Antigone, the quest that Antigone endures to stay true to her pure intentions of honoring Polyneices by giving him a proper burial is in juxtaposition with the fact that her defiance towards Creon is not only to do with Polyneices, but also to show appeasement to the gods.
Gloria Steinem said, “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men”. Feminists empower women but look for equality between both genders. Unfortunately there is a stigma and fear that comes with this word; when hearing the word feminist people quickly think of ‘man hatter’. In this paper I will be arguing that Antigone and Wicked both challenge and reinforce the conventional ideas of gender. This is an important topic because it will help us understand both sides of the pro-feminist and the anti-feminist. It will also help us see how women were viewed in the past and how they are viewed today.
Although ancient Greece was a male-dominate society, Sophocles' work Antigone, portrays women as being strong and capable of making wise decisions. In this famous tragedy, Sophocles uses the characters Ismene and Antigone to show the different characteristics and roles that woman are typical of interpreting. Traditionally women are characterized as weak and subordinate and Ismene is portrayed in this way. Through the character of Antigone, women finally get to present realistic viewpoints about their character.