Antigone 3
"Frailty is thy name woman!" Taken from this line reflects a common misconception about women. According to some, the sole purpose and duty of a woman is to serve her husband and look pretty. Her voice is not heard. Her thoughts are not taken into consideration. Her virtue and intellect are not respected. A woman is the "effect" of the "cause" that is man. The women in the Oedipus Trilogy are depicted in such a manner. They are almost background figures, reacting to events, but not causing them. These women have feelings appropriate to their time and place. Antigone is something of an exception to this rule. As befits her, she is a loving and loyal daughter and sister. It is precisely this loyalty that makes her an active rather than a static figure. Throughout the play, Antigone amazingly retains the traditional role of women, while at the same time boldly challenges this depiction. This is precisely where the conflict between the sexes rises. The denial of burial to Polynices strikes directly at her family loyalty, for it was the imm
Furthermore, hubris (pride) is strongly evident throughout the character of Creon. He refuses to compromise or humble himself before others especially women. "Never let some woman triumph over us. Better to fall from power, of if fall we must, at the hands of a man - never be rated inferior to a woman, never." (650). He stubbornly refuses other characters the right to express opinions different from his own. Creon abuses his power to force others to accept his point of view. This extreme male dominance conflicts head-on with Antigone's bold unwomanlike challenge to Creon's authority. When encountered with his son, Haemon's defiance to his father, Creon proclaimed him a "woman's slave," a man unfortunately sided with a woman. According to Creon, this act was close to, if not already, commitinf a sin. In conclusion, the bold, tradition-braking character of Antigone clearly clashed with the ovepowered, male dominant personality of Creon. This collision of character gave rise to the conflict between the sexes in Sophocles' "Antigone." Apparantly, Creon, kin
Some common words found in the essay are:
Antigone Antigone, Oedipus Trilogy, Creon Unlike, , According Creon, Apparantly Creon, sole purpose, duty women, conflict sexes, Sophocles' Antigone,
Approximate Word count = 722
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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