Antigone Gender Roles

Ancient Greece is arguably the birthplace of democracy, a society built on principles of equal rights and privileges. Ironically equality did not exist in this democracy because women could not vote. Woman had no say in government because they were not considered citizens. Women were treated as inferior to men, subjected to stay at home, marry and bear sons. This was a much maculated society. Sophocles lived from 497-406 B.C.E in Ancient Greece during this form of democracy. His plays reflect the ancient Greek society such as gods, kings, and woman. In the tragedy Antigone the male gender have a dominate role in society symbolizing power and dominance whereas women are believed to be beautiful and submissive. Sophocles in his tragedy demonstrates the imbalance of genders and the consequences of men who abuse their power and women who step out of the boundaries society place them in.
The play Antigone resolves around two main characters Creon
As previously stated women have no rights or say in the government therefore making Antigone a rebellious character. "Antigone represents a strong-willed young woman who stands up to harsh power but ultimately suffers in the end. People often forget in this setup the deeply traditional roots of Antigone’s actions, her sense of family values—values that formed an integral part of fifth-century Athenian political, cultural, and religious life." Antigone is justified in her actions to bury her brother Polynices but her stubbornness will lead to her demise. Antigone may have been fair in her actions but she still broke the laws. She disobeys the laws and speaks out against the kings. She is not representing a good image of a proper woman. Do not neglect the fact that she is a woman of upper status: even so she still has no rights and should be submissive. Antigone should ideally be more like her sister