Antigone And Ismene Analysis - 925 Words

Antigone, a play by Sophocles, contain the events that occur after the death of Oedipus. Oedipus’ death marked the ending of the preceding book, Oedipus at Colonus. Antigone, as reflected in the title, focuses on the life of Antigone, one of Oedipus’ daughters. Within the play, Antigone is faced with a major disagreement with her sister regarding the proper burial of their brother, Polyneices. Antigone and Ismene are characters that hold contrasting ideals and opinions in reference to the law of the gods v. the law of the state, family, loyalty, and the role of women in society; however, these characters come from the same background, so there are certain things that shape their reputation in the same ways. There was a clear divide†¦show more content†¦In the text, she speaks about how their family has been through a lot of reputational damage already and claims that doing this would only further harm their reputations. On page 193, Ismene says, â€Å"Sister, please, please! Remember how our father died hated, in disgrace†¦ and now, we two are left.† Lastly, the sisters have very different views on the role of women in society and the boundaries placed on women in society. In the time the play is set in, there is a clear patriarchy set in place. Burials are to be done by men; therefore, Antigone’s plan to give her brother a proper burial herself is an outrageous act that has a serious legal consequence. Though her plan went against the accepted social paradigm of the time, she stayed true to her promise and went ahead with the burial. In the beginning of the play, when Antigone asks Ismene to accompany her in paying homage to their brother, Ismene uses their role in society as a reason not to do so. â€Å"Remind ourselves that we are women and as such are not made to fight with men.† (Roche 193.) In many ways, Antigone was assuming the role of a man in society, rather than a woman for women had little independenc e in their community. Antigone and Ismene are represented with totally different personalities. Antigone is a headstrong, relentless, independent woman who would do anything for her family. This is made evident in both her success in giving her brother a proper burial and in her loyalty to her father in Oedipus atShow MoreRelatedAntigone, The Daughter Of Oedipus And Clytemnestra839 Words   |  4 PagesIn this Greacan tragedy, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus and Clytemnestra seeks to bury her brother Polyneices much against the wishes and orders of her uncle and the king, Creon. Her parents and her brothers are both dead and she wishes to leave behind her beautiful sister Ismene and join her family in the underworld. Polyneices, her brother died fighting for the throne against his brother Eteocles. Polyneices fought against Eteocles for the throne and died fighting. 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