Elektra And Antigone Analysis

For many years, there has always been an equality gap between males and females. Males being the more revered and desired gender, while females were the more disregarded gender, as they were forced to do mundane house work. Researchers have studied and learned how of family dynamics work throughout history, their research include but not limited to, archaeology, documents, and literature. In the year 5th century, this was no different than anywhere else in the world. But many scholars at the time decided that in their writings that they would use female characters to play the protagonist as this was a way of challenging societal norms. A famous Greek author, or tragedian who would use this method was Sophocles with his works, Elektra, and Antigone, …show more content…
Both siblings are enraged and devise a plan to kill their mother, but Orestes comes to the realization that killing his mother, is one of the highest offenses to commit and refuses to slay her, yet Elektra refuses to back down and takes her brothers sword and stabs Clytemnestra in the chest. Yet Elektra does feel a pang of grief as the realization of murder becomes more apparent in her mind, but she could not overcome the idea of her beloved father being murdered in cold blood even if it was by her own mother. Soon after the siblings actions they are confronted by Polydeuces and Castor who give them both punishments for committing murder. Elektra was forced to marry a man named Pylades, which in turn made a queen, while Orestes was forced into twenty years of wandering and be hounded by Furies. The reason for the contrasting punishments was due to the fact that Elektra was a female and would not be given an as harsh of a punishment as Orestes, even though Elektra was the one who murdered Clytemnestra. Both female protagonists deal with a strong sense of …show more content…
With Elektra seeking vengeance for the death of Agamemnon, and Antigone, giving her brother peace in the afterlife by giving him a proper burial, both women are justice centered women who did not stop until what they deemed as correct was so. They did not let the fact that they were females get into the way of their actions and refused to let this fact hinder them in any way, but when it came to outside characters like, Creon, or Castor and Pylades, they saw the characters as nothing more than women who do not really grasp their actions, which gives the character, Elektra an advantage, when it came down to her being punished for Clytemnestra’s death, and with Antigone she was given the option to apologize for trying to bury Polynices yet she chose to receive the full punishment for her transgressions against