Women in the Fifth-century Athens How would it feel to live in a society where one is expected to act a certain way because of something they could not decide when they were born: gender? The Greek tragedy, Antigone, written by Sophocles addresses many themes and issues. One of these is the role that gender plays in society expressed through various characters such as Antigone and Ismene and those around them. In Sophocles' Antigone, Antigone breaks the social norms of women by opposing Creon and standing up for what she believes in, showing the audience that women are just like men and do not have to stick to the gender roles enforced on them by society unlike Ismene, her sister, who follows the roles that society has implemented on them.
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Despite the fact that they are sisters and grew up in the same household, with the death of Polyneices comes the differences that set the two apart. Antigone proposes to Ismene a plan to bury their brother with the respect he deserves, however Ismene rejects this because she cannot go against an order from a man. Against Ismene’s beliefs that they must be obedient, Antigone tells her,“I will bury him myself. If I die for doing that, good: I will stay with him, my brother; and my crime will be devotion” (Lines 88-91). She knows that society will disapprove because of both her gender and actions, but does so anyways because of her strong personality. “Like Antigone, women are thus positioned as the "internal enem[ies]" of the state, at once a necessity and a threat to the existence of the ethical order (Hegel 1977, 288)” (Holland 1109) and that is why throughout the story, Creon was always so against Antigone and declares her a threat, ending in her death which sets an example to other women who dare to also go against the social norms and to show that Creon was not so beneath a woman that he would let one disobey him and get away with it. On the other side of the spectrum, “Ismene represents a stereotypical female” (Miller 66) and says to Antigone that they must obey Creon. Even though her attempt to stay subservient to Creon does not succeed, it shows how threatened Creon is by Antigone’s actions that he must not only take down Antigone but also Ismene despite her
Despite the fact that they are sisters and grew up in the same household, with the death of Polyneices comes the differences that set the two apart. Antigone proposes to Ismene a plan to bury their brother with the respect he deserves, however Ismene rejects this because she cannot go against an order from a man. Against Ismene’s beliefs that they must be obedient, Antigone tells her,“I will bury him myself. If I die for doing that, good: I will stay with him, my brother; and my crime will be devotion” (Lines 88-91). She knows that society will disapprove because of both her gender and actions, but does so anyways because of her strong personality. “Like Antigone, women are thus positioned as the "internal enem[ies]" of the state, at once a necessity and a threat to the existence of the ethical order (Hegel 1977, 288)” (Holland 1109) and that is why throughout the story, Creon was always so against Antigone and declares her a threat, ending in her death which sets an example to other women who dare to also go against the social norms and to show that Creon was not so beneath a woman that he would let one disobey him and get away with it. On the other side of the spectrum, “Ismene represents a stereotypical female” (Miller 66) and says to Antigone that they must obey Creon. Even though her attempt to stay subservient to Creon does not succeed, it shows how threatened Creon is by Antigone’s actions that he must not only take down Antigone but also Ismene despite her