Female Feminism In Antigone

Although many plays of the classical world depict women in lead roles, because they are written and performed by men, the female characters have no agency. Societal restrictions in antiquity forced women to remain in the house, to tend to children, and to support their husbands. As early as the Homeric stories, women were defined by the men in their lives. Helen of Troy defined by Menelaus and Paris, Briseis by Achilles and Agamemnon, and so forth exemplify the male dominance in Hellenic social structures. This said, as some argue that female centered stories can be critiqued as early feminist theory, evidence goes to show that many of these examples are actually invalid because they are created by men and portray women in undesirable fashions.

Specifically, she addresses that Antigone on the surface is empowering for women, however with a closer look, ultimately, Antigone limits female liberation. In her examination of Antigone in her expose, Antigone 's Claim: Kinship Between Life and Death, Butler deals with the underlying issues that contribute to Anitigone’s complicated character. Because Antigone is portrayed as a prepolitical feminine figure who opposes politics she cannot be viewed as a heroin because in the historical context of of the play, women were not allowed to participate in the political and public spheres to the extent Antigone does. She adds that Antigone hardly represents a feminism that is “unimplicated in the very power it opposes,” signifying that unlike feminist theory, Antigone feeds the misogyny because she does not even consciously defy Creon (Butler 2). In the play, she takes her life because she feels the guilt of not succeeding in burying her brother, not to beat Creon. Interpretations paint her actions as defiance and spite towards Creon however the raw text does not directly imply this. Antigone further loses her credibility because her actions are