Gender Roles In Sophocles Antigone

In Sophocles' play "Antigone," Creon, the King of Thebes, is depicted as having a dual nature. On one hand, he is a strong and just leader who is determined to maintain order and stability in his kingdom. He is a man of conviction, who firmly believes in the laws of the state and the need to uphold them, even in the face of opposition. He is a leader who is not afraid to take decisive action, and his determination to enforce the laws of the state is evident in his decision to punish Antigone for her actions.

Antigone is a play written in the 5th century BC by an Ancient Greek tragedian named Sophocles. Sophocles has written several other plays such as Oedipus the King, Oedipus in Colonus, and Electra. Antigone is a play about a girl named Antigone. Her brothers Eteocles and Polyneices kill each other fighting to be king, thus making Antigone’s uncle Creon the king of Thebes. Creon proceeds to outlaw the burial of Polyneices, because he was fighting against Thebes as Eteocles was the current king (they were alternating as king of Thebes).

Antigone chronicles the fictional events within the fabled Ancient Greek dynasty of Thebes, Antigone (daughter of the former King Oedipus Rex and late Queen Jocasta) and King Creon (brother of the late Queen Jocasta) after the war of succession between the late Eteocles and Polynices (Antigone’s brothers; Creon’s nephews). The play illustrates the complexities of autocratic rule with Antigone and Creon’s ideological clash, with Creon advocating for an absolute upholding of his own mandate of improper disposal of Polynices’ remains, which he justifies by his own proclaimed divine right. Sophocles portrays King Creon as not only a tyrant but a warning for the inevitable dangers of absolute rule within autocratic, absolute monarchies. This analysis

Antigone rebels against the norm of being a women and saying what she believes in because in this society, women had no say in their opinion. Ismene tells her sister “…since we are subject to stronger power we must hear these orders, or any that may be worse” (Antigone 63). Ismene knows that women have no power in their society because of their gender. But Antigone is not afraid of what Creon is going to do to her so she buries her brother anyway.

Sophocles play “Antigone” introduces a lot of debatable topics such as Human law vs Divine laws, pride, but most importantly the topic of woman’s movement for empowerment. Long before 442 B.C.E, women were belittled because of their gender however, after the birth of “Antigone” it demonstrated a strong outreach towards women and their roles in society ”Antigone, a woman who defines King Creon’s edict without any fear, doubts, or regrets. This courageous woman, the fruit of incest, has fascinated philosophers in the nineteenth century, inspired playwrights in the twentieth century, and intrigued feminist thinkers and activists for decades” (Söderbäck). Birth from a respected bloodline, Antigone doesn’t feel respected at all within her town, especially from her uncle Creon who became entitled as the King after Antigone’s blood

When Creon made the argument for state and policy over family, he also placed a value of gender to home and state. For example, he doesn’t want Antigone to marry his son because she rebelled against his rules, but more importantly because she is a woman that disobeyed him. He will do anything in his power to disallow women from ruling Thebes, even if that means sentencing her to death. This is proven to be true when he says, Taken in the act I found her, all alone in the state, Rebellious. And I will not make myself false to the state.

In his play Antigone, the author, Sophocles, uses irony to illustrate the power of women versus men and to portray the true nature of pride. Sophocles conveys how damaging and destructive being prideful can be, as in his play it leads to complete familial destruction, but also how this pride is caused by the disobedience and defiance of others, as Antigone disobeys Creon, and he does this through the use of irony, leading the viewer to examine his own life in an attempt to rectify any possible ironic situations that could lead to the same, but minimized, consequences as those found in Antigone. In the play’s opening Antigone is seen grieving over Creon 's law, but it is this prideful action that Creon took that will cause the unravelling of his world by Antigone: a simple yet confident woman. This law that Creon created was that Antigone’s brother Polyneices, who died fighting against Thebes, is not to be buried but to be left out in the open, while her other brother Eteocles, who died fighting for Thebes, is to be allowed a proper burial.

In the scene in which Creon will not allow her brother to be buried. This goes against her personal beliefs she confronts Creon when she says “if I had allowed my own mothers son to rot, an unburied corpse that would have been an agony.” Creon wouldn’t allow Antigone brother to be buried even tho Antigone felt it was the right thing to do. Antigone is talking to Ismene about burying her brother but Ismene tells her to keep the idea a secret but Antigone disagrees and says “But I know I’ll please the ones I’m duty bound to please.

(Ismene) My own brother and yours I will! If you will not, I will i shall not prove disloyal (Antigone) You are mad! When creon has forbidden it” (Ismene). Antigone is driven by a strong sense of morality and believes that it is her duty to give her brother Polyneices a proper burial, even if it means going against Creon.

Throughout the play, Creon and Antigone are very much at odds with each other ,but yet both characters show pride that is evident throughout the story. Even when Creon and Antigone express their pride for different reasons, both are lash out at people around them in a similar fashion. During the start of the play, Antigone finds out that her brother, Polyneices, is dead and Creon is not willing to bury him by enforcing an interdict. Antigone comes quickly to the conclusion that she must bury her brother to honor her family. Ismene, trying to keep an eye out for her sister, tries to talk Antigone out of burying her brother.

Antigone is loyal to the gods and not to Creon. Antigone states, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way. ’’(P.32). What she means is that nobody can block her or stand in her way from doing what she has to do for her brother.

In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the characters of Antigone and Creon stand in opposition to each other. One man, Polyneices, the brother of Antigone and the nephew of Creon, has been declared a traitor of Thebes. Antigone would rather die than leave her brother unburied, but King Creon believes that civil law is absolute. However, it is only Antigone who is able to truly defend her ethics.

Gender roles play a significant part through ought the play Antigone due to the fact that men are treated on a higher scale than women. Sophocles portrays women as people with no rights nor freedom. Antigone is on a destiny for burial rights of her brother Polyneicis. Gender roles are expressed throughout the play Antigone by disrespecting women and men having power and freedom.

In Antigone, there was two brothers who shared being the King and one of the brothers, Polynices, wanted to start a war with the kingdom because he wanted to be the main ruler. Polynices and his brother Eteocles fight and they both end up killing each other. Their Uncle Creon, who takes position as King when they are both killed, decides that only Eteocles will have a proper burial and Polynices will be left to rot. Antigone, Polynices and Eteocles sister, thinks that Creon’s decision is unfair and takes upon herself to give Polynices a proper burial. When their other sister Ismene finds out, she is stuck between helping her sister bury their brother and following Creon’s demands.

The drama Antigone places the culture of Greece on display by showcasing the many values that this culture held in reverence, including remaining loyal to family, honoring the dead, and honoring the gods. In Sophocles’ renowned drama entitled Antigone, one of the main values that Antigone chooses to honor is loyalty to family, even when that means that she has to forgo loyalty to her city and community. Even though her uncle the king, Kreon, forbade anyone to bury Polyneikes’ body because he had been on the opposing side in the battle, Antigone felt a duty to her brother to bury him. When speaking with her sister, Antigone says that Kreon’s command “…threatens our loved ones / as if they were our enemies” (Antigone 14-15).