Antigone
Issue of male authority and challenges to that authority in the play "Antigone".In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Creon and Antigone have distinct conflicting values. Antigone first demonstrates feminist logic when she chooses to challenge a powerful male establishment. This establishment is personified by her uncle Creon, who is newly crowned as the King of Thebes. Creon poses to be a major authority figure in a patriarchal society. Creon's regard for the laws of the city causes him to abandon all other beliefs. He feels that all should obey the laws set forth by him, even if other beliefs, moral or religious, state otherwise. Antigone, on the other hand, holds the beliefs of the gods in high reverence. She feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others, especially when in respect to family. The bold, tradition-braking character of Antigone clearly clashed with the overpowering patriarchal dominance of Creon. This collision between characters gives rise to the conflict between the sexes in Sophocles' "Antigone." The denial of burial to Polynices strikes directly at her family loyalty. This enormous sense of loyalty leads to her simultaneous violation and observance to the duty of women of the time. It
He stands for obedience to the State. Ismene being too weak is afraid to defy the king. Antigone herself represents the highest ideals of human life -- courage and respect for the gods. Thus unlike her sister, Ismene refuses to challenge the male authority, even if it means to not fulfill her duties as a sister. He uses her to set an example for the entire city of Thebes, for Antigone is the first person to ever deliberately disobey Creon's order not the bury her late brother, who has been declared a traitor of the city. In such way, she argues an equality of the sexes, as well as equality under God. Her view of the inferiority to men came from the many laws restricting the lives of women. This sense of responsibility is probably the result of Antigone's earlier pleas for help and Ismene's fear of being without any family. Antigone, persuades her to help bury their brother, "He is my brother and-deny it as you will-/ your brother too(61, ll. " The two sisters argue, but in the end their differences in opinions stand out. And even if Creon were king, and Antigone a male, her opinion on the matter of Polynices' burial would likely have been taken more into his consideration. These words stated by Ismene, express her extreme fear for and subordination to man.
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