McKenzie Galloway
Honors English 10: 3Y
Mr. Snead
10 November 2014
Women
Ellis Grey, a fictional character, from Grey’s Anatomy, believed that focusing on work was more important, and that she didn’t need to be at home raising her child and cleaning the house. She believed that being a woman meant she had equality. In Antigone, Sophocles depicts the women in the story as the women in ancient Greece. These women in ancient Greek times had limited power and control of their lives. In Antigone, Antigone defies Creon, by breaking the law and surprising him. Creon views women as weak and only good for having children and pleasing their husbands, and by quickly failing that women are capable of everything men can do. By breaking the law, Antigone shows Creon that women aren’t weak and are equally capable of doing the same things as men, by standing up to Creon and deliberately disobeying him. Ismene, Antigone’s sister is depicted as the anti-feminist, “We are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone! The law is strong, we must give in to the law” (prologue.2.47-48), she’s the one who sticks to Creon’s rules that he establishes, and relates to the roles of women. Antigone tells Ismene that she’s going to bury Polyneices, her brother, and is then told by Ismene she’ll only get caught by Creon. She argues that, “and we are left: but oh, Antigone, think how much more terrible than these. Our own death would be if we should go against Creon. And do what he has forbidden! We are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone!” (prologue.2.43-49). By Antigone establishing this, her view on what would happen to Antigone, is portrayed as a stereotypical female, who is cautious around men. Antigone believes that defying Creon and breaking the law is a way to depict that women are not weak and can do the same thing as men. In the process of defying Creon and breaking the law, she has tricked him by making him think the culprit was a male and underestimating women. By surprising Creon and his guards, Antigone speaks up and says that she was only doing what the gods told her to, when burying Polyneices. She says is it not Creon’s decision to decide if she dies or not. Her life is in her hands, and she controls what she does and when she dies. By standing up to Creon and telling him who’s in control it scares him, and his problem is that Antigone is making him feel weak against him. Therefore defying Creon of his view of women. Burying Polyneices and giving herself up to Creon was a move Antigone made to defy the view of women to Creon. It was a decision she made that scared Creon, one that made him
