Rejecting Gender Roles In Sophocless Antigone - 1262 Words

Rejecting 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 remain silent or speak their mind and face severe consequences, there is much less risk in taking the first option. Sophocles, an 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 such extreme circumstances, but this battle between conformity and individuality directly reflects the†¦show more content†¦Women rarely received inheritances or owned property themselves (â€Å"Greek Attitudes†). Homeric women, like Penelope from The Odyssey, and Andromache from The Iliad, exemplify the expectations of wives at this time. While their main role was to produce and raise heirs, they also wove clothing and watched over their servants (Fantham 33). In the absence of Penelope’s husband, Odysseus, her main objective is protecting the house and her name by rejecting suitors who, thinking Odysseus has died in battle, try to marry her (Fantham 33). Penelope’s role in the household is similar to the role of women in Greece around the time in which Antigone takes place. Ismene, while loyal to her sister, still conforms to the expectation that she must abide by the laws and comply with the ones who have the power. Compared to Ismene, Antigone is a complete individualist. Her devotion to her religion and ultimately, her own morals, is what drives her to break the law without shame. After Ismene chooses not to help Antigone bury Polynices, Antigone replies, â€Å"I’ll bury him myself. And even if I die in the act, that death will be a glory† (Sophocles 85-86). Antigone’s behavior directly contradicts t he role of women at the time, as most kept to their role as a wife and mother, rarely leaving the house or challenging male authority (â€Å"Women in Greece†). Similar to how Ismene conforms to the female gender roles of Ancient Greece, Creon conforms to every quality of the ideal