Antigone

Antigone

Antigone was writtin in 441 B.C. This story has been used as far back as the early 1960's to aid in the fight with civil disobedience as well as struggles for civil rights against the war in Vietnam. This play is utterly one hundred percent about feminism and the steps taken by women to make a difference, to stand up for what is right and just.

Sophocles argues against the typical Athenian ideology of women through Creon's destructiveness. Creon, because of his position as ruler of the state, is representative of all Athenian males and the Athenian people. Antigone sets herself up as representing Sophocles's ideals for the family. She establishes that family law is ordained by the gods, and therefore takes precedence over social law (1710). Within Antigone's character resides the ultimate love and respect of the family. In fact, for the audience, she embodies the family. Later in the play, Antigone's death sparks the complete collapse of Creon's own family. It is important that Sophocles show that Antigone represents this family to Creon. This way Creon can be shown to blatantly reject Antigone, his family, and the more progressive position of women in society. Creon must acknowledge this representation in order for the play to show that it is Creon's rejection of this view that causes his downfall.

The difference between male and female identities is show at the very beginning of Antigone. In the first two lines, Antigone draws upon the fact that she and Ismene have the same father, in order to show the emphasis of their bond. Even though the bond she is trying to emphasize is a purely female one, sisters, it is the father whom is mentioned, and only the father, not the mother. Right after that there follows a dialogue that shows the accepted roles for females and males are laid out. Ismene represents the ideal Athenian female to the reader. Her beliefs about herself, and about males coincide with typical Athenian idea of women, and show how the males though that women should think of themselves. Antigone's arguments set up a frame for the rest of the play, and help to identify her as the improper female.

The play honors Antigone because she represents the family, and Sophocles is trying to bring that back to importance in Athens. But at the same time there is no doubt that Antigone's fate in the play was an undesirable one. She is sentenced to death, and fulfils that sentence