Ismene's Role In Antigone

At the end of their fight, the decision is made; Antigone will bury Polynices. Ismene’s disapproving attitude does not sit well with Antigone. “Oh, I shall hate you if you talk like that! And he will hate you, rightly. Leave me alone with my own madness. There is no punishment that can rob me of my honorable death.” (508) Ismene proved not to take after her sister’s hot-headed attitude when she replied to Antigone. “Go then, if you are determined, to your folly. But remember that those who love you… love you still.” (508) Ismene’s patience is more honorable in the face of Antigone’s angers and

While Antigone represents a full devotion to humanism, her sister, Ismene, represents not only the rejection of it, but also passivity towards the notion of morality which, in a sense, is equivalent to Creon’s treachery towards what we hold morally sacred. Ismene has long been used as a symbol of both anti-politics and anti-humanism, which creates a dynamic plot by contrasting the cowardly fear to stand up for one’s concept of what is right with a brazen display of self-fulfilled justice. (2) What’s worse may be Ismene’s knowledge of her cowardliness and complete complacency, as seen when talking to Antigone about her plan to bury their slain brother when sharing her fear of punishment, " Think how we’ll die far worse than all the rest, if we defy the law and move against the

The relationship between Antigone and Ismene is close because they are both sisters but at the same time their relationship isn’t that strong. One of reasons they are foils to each other is because of their disagreement about burying the body of their brother Polyneices. Antigone already knows that she is willing to die to let her brother rest in peace but Ismene on the other isn’t on her side, instead she doesn’t want to help Antigone because she want to face the consequences that come with burying Polyneices. Antigone and Ismene are foils to each other because on one hand Antigone is willing to defy the orders of the king who has power over her, while her

First off, Ismene, Antigone’s sister, actually was the one that incited Antigone's actions that led to everything else that happened in the story. Without Ismene, there would not be a plot. In lines 52-59, Ismene said to Antigone “What? You'd bury him— when a law forbids the city?” Antigone replied “Yes! He is my brother and—deny it as you will—your brother too. No one will ever convict me for a traitor.” Ismene said “So desperate, and Creon has expressly—” and Antigone interrupted with “He has no right to keep me from my own.” Here Ismene is telling Antigone that her actions are not something that are legal and that comply with Creon’s laws. Antigone, being hard-headed, decides that she is not going to let a law determine what she does for

When she finds out that Antigone is disobeying Creon, she becomes very worried. Ismene says she cannot act against the law and that the consequences of acting against the laws put fears in her. Ismene being righteous interferes with her decision of whether she is to help her sister or not. Eventually Ismene recants and wants to help Antigone with the illegal burial of their brother Polyneices but Antigone rejects. Ismene recanting angers her sister; She feels that Ismene should of chose her in the first place but it is now too late because Antigone does not want the hep. Without the help of Ismene, Antigone gets caught by the guard for trying to bury her brother Polynices for a second time. If Ismene did please her sister and decide to help in the first place would Antigone of got

In the second episode, Creon's Sentry captures Antigone at Polynices' graveside. When Antigone is brought before Creon, she proudly admits that the Sentry's recount of the story is true and that she buried Polynices. Creon suspects that Ismene, Antigone's sister, is also involved. However, Antigone contemptuously recounts her sister's earlier refusal to assist him. In this scene, Antigone is shown to be a woman with extreme pride, arrogance, and stubbornness. She states again and again that she is just following the dictates of the gods and is not willing to listen to Creon's logic. When Ismene is brought in, Antigone treats her with contempt and appears very harsh. This shows a very inflexible and hard character.

First, Ismene is empowered to overcome her fear of disobeying Creon’s law as a result of watching Antigone act boldly to do what she thinks is right. At the beginning of the play, Ismene, Antigone’s sister, is obedient and shy. Ismene is fearful of the consequence of burying their brother, Polyneices, but Antigone helps her see what is right. After seeing Antigone willingly accept punishment for burying Polynices, Ismene has a change of heart. She tells her sister, “But now I know what you meant; and I am here To join you, to take my share of the punishment”

In Antigone, Ismene recognises that telling her sister not to bury her brother, was

Antigone’s sister, Ismene, refuses to help her bury their brother. Antigone is caught attempting to do the funeral rituals by Creon’s guards. Creon questions Ismene about Antigone’s plan to bury their deceased traitor of a brother, Polyneices. Ismene tries to confess falsely to the crime and wanted to die along her sister but Antigone did not agree. Creon orders his guards to put Ismene and Antigone in prison.

As Antigone begins to constantly question her sister, Ismene, on whether she would help give her brother, Polynices, the proper burial, Ismene refuses as she stays solid upon her decision to follow King Creon’s regulations. Completely offended, Antigone thus tells Ismene that she no longer expects nor wants any help from her any longer; she will act out on her own will even if it will be the cause for her death. Taking full responsibility for her course of actions, she states, “I will bury my brother; / And if I die for it, what happiness! / Convicted of reverence - I shall be content / To lie besides a brother whom I love” (128). Because Antigone is emotionally attached to her brother, her love for him overpowers her fear of getting punished. Since the law forbids her from doing what she believes is right, her love immediately alters into the act of stubbornness as she begins to give herself leeway towards persistent, yet irrational decisions. Conveying how Antigone’s stubbornness comes from a deep and passionate love for her brother, she states that if she does get punished, she will still stand with gratitude because her action was honourable. Unfortunately for Antigone, her intense love lead to her constant rebellion; however, because her only intent was to righteously give her brother a burial, it is clear to identify that her intentions are pure, and are in no way selfish. One can feel sympathetic for Antigone as her only true crime was letting her intense love blind her to the repercussions of her actions. Antigone’s stubbornness is what causes her rebellion against Creon's will; as a result, she is sentenced to a life imprisonment. Creon tried several times to discreetly let Antigone off the hook, yet she was persistent and stood by her actions. Recieving her punishment

different from one another as tempered steel is from a ball of cotton. One is

The beginning of the play begins with Antigone and her sister, Ismene. Antigone presents her plan of burying their brother, Polynices, whose body had been denied a proper burial by their uncle, King Creon, since in his eyes Polynices had been seen as an enemy to the city. Antigone wanted Ismene to accompany her, but Ismene immediately refused in fear of the consequences. Ismene states “We are women and we do not fight with men/ We are subject to them

In contrary Ismene is docile and someone who follow the laws at all costs. She said, “we are women” stating a woman’s position in society and obligated to obey by the law. She doesn’t agree with her sister Antigone, since is prohibiting for women to have a voice during those times. Ismene believe that women should never violate the laws of man who were guide by the gods. Antigone will carry out the forbidden burial alone, nevertheless she seeks futilely the complicity of her sister Ismene. Ismene without endorsing the established power by King Creon, discreetly folds to it, became a passive collaborator of the system implemented by him.

The human struggle to defy what is intrinsically wrong but established as permissible is openly apparent in the initial scenes of the play – strong-willed and brave-hearted Antigone reveals her plan to unlawfully bury her brother, only to be rejected and dismantled by cautious and law-abiding Ismene. Although Ismene is saddened by her brother's fate, nomos renders her helpless; social constructs have influenced her belief that their standings as women and individual citizens are no match for state law. Consequently, she is appalled that Antigone would even think of defying Creon, believing their brother's fate is out of their hands. She even warns her sister, "tis witless to be over busy."1 Her chance to rightfully bury Polyneices, and more importantly, to realize her innate responsibility to her kin, is temporarily barred by human-allotted law and practice.

Antigone was dejected with Creon’s ruling and decided to bury Polynices herself. She tried to enlist Ismene to help her, but Ismene was to afraid. Antigone furiously continued with the plan on her own. A sentry discovered Antigone and brought her to Creon. Ismene was also brought to Creon and confessed that she had helped Antigone with the burial rites of Polynices. Antigone stopped Ismene and told her not to