NAME: amrita shome

SECTION:522

STUDENT ID:22204134

COURSE NO.:hum103

SET 1

Introduction: The play “Antigone”, written by Sophocles around 445 BC, is one of the three

Theban plays. It was written in the age of deep rooted male dominated society where woman

were only engaged to household issues deprived from even basic rights. Play writer Sophocles

were already thinking about advanced community where women are challenging against

established rules of male supremacy back then and wrote plays about it. Antigone here stands out

against his uncle and the king of Thebes Creon about burial of her brother Polyneices as his dead

body was abandoned away showing disrespect to divine laws. Here some character plays

according to their gender having fear of reprimanded. On the other hand, feminism, disobedience

rebellious behavior of women and men have twisted the plot entirely. Here I’m am going to

illustrate on the facts and differences between everything based of feminism, divine and man

made laws, patriarchy, daring civil laws and state apparatus.

Mind mapping-

Ismene’s unwillingness driven by repressive state apparatus, civil obedience, gender

discrimination, depressed gender society, Antigone challenging patriarchy, Ismene’s

consequential ethics and Antigone’s deontological ethics, Antigone’s strong right as woman,

ismene’s lack of courage, Haemon’s disobedience and ethics of care, witnessed both traditional-

non traditional gender norm activities considering the facts of ideological state apparatus,

Antigone’s familial reason for anger, traditional domination, man-made laws, Antigone’s family

and mourn, gender norms, feminism, Polyneices and Eteocles’s rigidness, absence of family and

kinship, antient Greek society’s patrimony, patriarchy, supremacy of power of the king,

suppressing women through oppressive state apparatus, moral relativism partially connected to

gender based decision, Creon and his family’s connection and care, influenced by family love

and changing decision.

Character analysis: Ismene’s behavior all through the play was rule abiding and fearful citizen.

Ismene couldn’t get over Creon’s order because of his threat of stoning which falls under

repressive state apparatus. Her moral told her to try to stop Antigone as she could be in very

danger. She showed her sister care which can not go wrong also her lack of courage is also clear.

Also as she is a women, it was obligatory to follow a man’s order which was also the king.

Unlike Ismene, Antigone was daring and affectionate to her brothers. She depicts feminism at a

very dominated era being a fearless and astonishing character. Her determination to bury her

brother despite of the king’s order challenges patriarchy to a great extent. It was severe than any

unexpected event because Antigone belonged to a royal family by blood. She didn’t think about

the consequences of her action as she followed deontological ethics. Her moral was correct to her
and had no influence of conventional oppression. Contrastingly, Ismene was accustomed to be

under men in power. Like Antigone, her fiancé Haemon was reluctant to any order. Moreover,

her love for Antigone because of ethics of care. Antigone’s action wasn’t considerable to

Haemon and went over his father’s decision. Gender based division has been practiced for many

years. It is typical for thinking some job or action to be suited for male or female. I saw, not

granting a wife’s wish to go work out in the competitive field as it makes difficult to raise child.

And in contrast, I also witnessed a girl riding bike and cruising around on her own. Such

satisfactory scenario is now freedom for women who is still behind patriarchy walls. Antigone

was angry mostly because apart from everything it was their family which was getting destroyed.

Creon didn’t think of it and left out Polyneices. All these happened because Polyneices and

Eteocles fought and died in the battle field. Their lack of understanding and full of rigidness

resulted both defeated and family cursed. Antigone’s line to king is based on biased and

dominated society. Only the king is correct no matter how his morality is. No one can go against

king even if he is doing wrong. It is the oppressive state apparatus where going against any laws

results to oppression. Like Heamon was reprimanded as he supported Antigone. Creon had both

of the ethics as he was determinded to punish Antigone but later he changed his mind.

THEORITICAL PLANNING: According to Woollstonecraft, M.(2014), girls who didn’t get

proper educated are depended on their brothers. As girls consider them as good men. Antigone

loved both of his brother. that’s why she risked her life to properly burry her brother.

“Repressive state apparatus are much larger like between trade unions, families, schools

etc”,Althusser,L(2019). Cerons entire family was under SA.