Introduction
The debate on whether some jobs are preserved for men and others for women continues in society as critics and adherents try to prove their points. Among them is Sophocles, the playwright, who technically pictures a variety of women’s roles. Antigone is one of his masterworks, which closely manifests most Greek myths, beliefs, and culture. The themes brought across by Sophocles bear a close relation to modern society, and the most evident theme is the role of women in society in ancient times.
Discussion
Sophocles strategically employs female characters to bring out the themes while delivering his play. The play features two sisters, Antigone and Ismene, who work together. Their role in the play, and hence the role of women, stands out as the two act in conjunction with another woman character, Eurydice. According to the play, women are the inferior sex. Sophocles takes the reader through ancient Greece, a society dominated by men. Many societies use gender to distinguish their people based on gender, where women stand as weak compared to men.
While society treats men as brave and aggressive, women, on the other hand, stand in the ‘second hand’ category of people and are seen as weak, as depicted in Sophocles’ play. Ismene, Antigone’s sister, concurs with the notion that women are low-grade people. This comes out during her argument with Antigone concerning the burial of their brother Polynices. Referring to Antigone, she says, “We must remember we are women born, unapt to cope with men; and, being ruled by mightier than ourselves, we have to hear these things and worse” (Sophocles 3). By using these words, Polynices pictures women as substandard people. They are unable to perform some duties due to their belief that they are ordained for men. For instance, organizing burials is a men’s task in most contemporary societies. Women ought to obey authority more than their male counterparts do.
As cases of disobedience stand, men appear the most affected. Women, on the other hand, are too obedient to defy authority. It does not matter much to them whether the laws are good for all or interfere with other peoples’ rights. In the play, the king has passed a decree that deprives all the disobedient people of Thebes of a right to a proper burial. Polynices happens to die after having brought an illegal foreign army to Thebes. Though the law interferes with the Christian burial rites, of which Ismene is a partaker of the faith, she obeys the decree despite it being against her religious rights. She is the illustration of women who believe that it is their role to obey at all costs without question.
In the play, Ismene tells Antigone to think of the repercussions of defying Creon’s law. Nick, addressing the reaction to Ismene, says, “Ismene can be viewed as being afraid and uneasy to agree to an action” (26). Ismene, in this case, plays the role of an obedient woman. Ismene is Antigone’s foil because she is completely cowed by the rule of men and believes that women should be subservient to them or risk incurring their wrath. She believes that men are stronger and, therefore, must be obeyed. Ultimately, however, we see that she has bought into the problematic concepts that Creon espouses, for even when Creon realizes he may be wrong, he switches his defense, arguing that even if he were incorrect, he could not admit defeat to a woman as it goes against the beliefs of the gods. This means that men are likely to oppress women despite knowing they are wrong.
Throughout this play, Antigone is portrayed as a bold and clever character who challenges Aristotle’s view on women, the lack of their ability to be strong characters, and the ancient Greek society’s view of women. Antigone’s gender profoundly affects the meaning of her actions and character. Creon himself says that the need to defeat her is all the more pressing because she is a woman. Antigone believes with all her soul that she is capable of deciding how to act based on the circumstances presented. She is adamant that she should be free to disobey a command given by a man if she feels the command is unjust or oppressing her.
Antigone depicts the role of a strong woman capable of making informed decisions. She fits herself into the shoes of men. For instance, Fagles says, “Antigone opposes Creon’s law and buries her slain brother; because in her mind it was immoral not to” (Para. 3). Antigone defies stereotypical gender roles as exemplified by Uncle Creon’s attitude towards her. Antigone chooses to express her dissatisfaction with what she believes to be the unethical new regime of King Creon by burying her brother’s body. She resolves to sacrifice her own life in the service of greater justice. She is the epitome of women who fight against mistreatment from men who view them as mediocre.
Antigone portrays the courageous role of women who are ready to fight the law in their endeavor to stand for their rights. Antigone makes it clear that what matters is standing up for what is right and making sure one is steadfast in their convictions. For her, it is empowering to know that no matter the consequences, one must fight for what one believes in and see it all the way to the end. Antigone never fears Creon, and his laws openly defy them. She does not hide from what she has done and even confesses to it, displaying courage and boldness. Referring to Antigone and Ismene, Steiner observes, “While Antigone plays the role of a strong and sensible woman, Ismene portrays the typical meek and mild role” (15). Sophocles, in his captivating chef-d’oeuvre, successfully brings to light these varying roles of women in society. On the other hand, Antigone proves to be both irrational and courageous because even though she does not consider the consequences, she stands up to the most powerful man unsupported by the community.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the differing roles of women are still evident today. While some hold on to the ancient notion that women are the weak sex, like Ismene, others, like Antigone, believe that women are equally powerful as men are, claiming that women can nowadays perform the ancient men-directed tasks even better. The public eventually stands behind Antigone as she aligns herself with the gods and defies Creon and his unfair edicts. This shows that with determination and proper support, women can go beyond and break the boundaries they are conformed to obey in society. Therefore, they should be allowed to express themselves and speak their minds.
Works Cited
Fagles, Robert. The Three Theban Plays. New York: Penguin, 2006.
Nick, Great. The portrayal of Women in Sophocles’ Antigone. New York: The Davies Group Publishers, 2006. Print.
Sophocles. Antigone. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1912. Print.
Steiner, George. Antigones. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1984. Print.