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Gender Roles In Antigone

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Conforming to Gender Roles in Antigone
Human nature dictates that conformity is a safer choice than expressing individuality. When placed in a situation where one must either speak their mind and face severe consequences, or remain silent, there is much less risk in taking the second option. Sophocles, the Athenian tragedian from the fifth century BC, confronted this theme throughout one of his most popular works: Antigone. In the play, the title character must decide if she should honor her brother and die, rather than saying nothing and leaving his dead body unburied outside the city walls. In the present day, most Americans don’t experience those exact circumstances, but this battle between conformity and individuality directly reflects …show more content…

In Antigone, Sophocles examines gender roles and expectations of Ancient Greece through the contrast between conformity and individuality.
In Ancient Greece, the strict social hierarchy held men and women to certain expectations of how they should behave and act. The ideal Athenian man’s main goal in life was to be strong, dominant, and honorable, and any other quality was considered feminine (“Greek Attitudes”). Ismene, Antigone’s sister, represents every expectation of women at the time; she obeys the law even if it means that she dishonors her brother by not burying him. When Antigone proposes the idea to properly bury Polynices, Ismene refuses in fear of facing punishment by urging Antigone, “Remember we are women, we’re not born to contend with men. Then too, we’re underlings, ruled by much stronger hands [...] I must obey the ones who stand in power” (Sophocles 74-80). At this time in Greece, women were in charge of the oikos, or household, and men treated them like property (“Greek Attitudes”). …show more content…

In Creon’s case, he is rewarded for speaking his mind, as the chorus shouts with hope upon his arrival, “But look, the king of the realm is coming, Creon, the new man for the new day” (Sophocles 173-174). Yet Antigone is punished and sentenced to death for doing what she believes is right simply because of her role in society as a woman. In addition, Creon epitomizes the role of men in Greek society through his blatant opposition to individualism: “Anarchy - show me a greater crime in all the earth! [...] we must defend the men who live by law, never let some woman triumph over us. Better to fall from power, if fall we must, at the hands of a man - never be rated inferior to a woman, never” (Sophocles 752-761). While the citizens revere Creon for his boldness, Antigone is sentenced to death for standing up for what she believes in, Antigone’s unavoidable fate is the consequence of refusing to fill the gender

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