In the play Antigone by Sophocles, Ismene is shown to be in great contrast to Antigone, who is her sister. She is portrayed as a gentle and passive while Antigone is depicted as an aggressive and headstrong woman. In the prologue, Antigone and Ismene are shown discussing what has transpired since their leave and subsequent return to Thebes. In this scene Antigone asks her sister in line 6-7 “have they told you of the new decree by our King Creon?” which Ismene then responds that “I have learned nothing. I know that two sisters lost two brothers, a double death in a single hour, and I know that the Argive army fled in the night; but beyond this, nothing” (Sophocles 0:7-9).…
Antigone and Ismene also show different characteristics in the story. Firstly, Antigone is strong, loyal, kind, and determined. She is determined and strong because she went alone to bury her brother Polyneices. She went to bury Polyneices because she said that he deserves it and she didn't want her brother to rot and be eaten by the ants. Secondly, Ismene is timid and follows the rules. For example, when Antigone asked her if she would come and help her bury their brother Ismene immediately said no. That shows that she follows the rules…
When Antigone asked her sister Ismene to help bury their brother, Ismene denies, saying that she “shall obey to those who are in authority (Sophocles line 67).” However, Ismene changes her mind later on and wants to share the punishment with Antigone for keeping her plot a secret. Ismene admits, “I share in bearing the responsibility (Sophocles 537).” Antigone’s courage inspires Ismene to join her, even though she wants Ismene to stay away, which shows that Antigone is a credible leader. Ismene, not Antigone, was then in control of her own…
To begin, if Antigone was a man he or she would not have had the obligation to bury the body. Back then, women were not treated as equally as men and women had very few rights to their name. One of their rights however, was having the obligation to bury the deceased family member’s body. When Creon, the king, declared it illegal to bury Polyneices he was not only letting Polyneices soul suffer, but taking away the only right Antigone had. If Antigone was a man, it would not have been her/his duty to bury her brother but Ismene’s since, “He is my [Antigone’s] brother and your [Ismene’s] brother too” (Sophocles 191). So it would have been Ismene’s job to bury the body since Ismene would be the only sister to three brothers. This would change Antigone’s because Ismene would have died trying to bury her brother and protecting her rights to do so.…
one another as tempered steel is from a ball of cotton. One is hard and resistant; the…
And it was ingrained in their heads to not rebel or speak out because they would be punished for their wrongdoings. You can see this same fearfulness in Ismene in Antigone. Ismene is the stereotypical greek women. She wants to please the powerful head above her, which is Creon, to stay out of trouble. When Antigone proposed the idea to Ismene that they should bury her other brother to save the family name. Ismene’s response was “What?” “You’d bury him-when a law forbids the city” (61)? Ismene couldn't fathom the idea that someone would want to go against Creon's word, after countless times he told them to never disobey him. Stated from the Gender pride as tragic flaw in Sophocles' Antigone, Owoeye exclaimed “Ismene is apparently more gender sensitive than Antigone drawing from her instant reaction to Antigone's proposal that they should not allow their brother's corpse to lie unburied on the ground” (Owoeye). Ismene declared that she would never disobey the city, but she is more afraid of what would happen to her and her sister as a…
The play begins with the debate between the sisters Antigone and Ismene about which law comes first, human law or divine law. Antigone invites Ismene to join her in burying their brother Polyneices, though the king, Creon, has forbidden his burial. Ismene reminds Antigone that burial is against the king’s law. She says, “I yield to those who have authority” (line 67). Antigone denies that Creon has authority in the matter of burial, since it is a sacred duty she feels bound to fulfill. She protests, “He has no right to keep me from my own!” (line 48). She explains she is willing to die to do her duty to Polyneices, for “I have to please the dead far longer than I need to please the living; with them, I have to dwell forever” (lines 74-76). Antigone knows that when she enters the afterlife she must answer to them for the rest of eternity and therefore believes it is in her best interest to please them rather than please the king. Though Ismene does not agree, Antigone fears the wrath of the gods far more than the wrath of Creon and decides she will give up her life if it means…
Listen, Ismene: Creon buried our brother, Eteocles, with military honors, gave him a soldier's funeral, and it was right that he should--but Polyneices, who fought as bravely and died as miserably—they say that Creon has sworn no one shall bury him, no one mourn for him, but his body must lie in the fields, a sweet treasure for carrion birds to find as they search for food. That is what they say, and our good Creon is coming here to announce it publicly; and the penalty--stoning to death in the public square! There it is, and now you can prove what you are: a true sister, or a traitor to your family.…
Both plays begin with providing the audience with the history and the consequences of certain situations that the characters were involved in. It also brings the audience to the present time, in which the play occurs. This enables the audience to have a clear and refreshed image of what aspect of the legend the play emphasizes or if any alterations were made. In Medea, the nurse is the first character who enters the play and reminds the audience of the legend of the Golden Fleece, and the love between Jason and Medea, from beginning to the end. She also brings them to the present state Medea is in, which is of complete despair and depression after Jason remarried. “And she hates her children now, and feels no joy at seeing them.” (Oates, 292). In Antigone, one of the purposes of the chorus is to provide history to the audience. Although, Sophocles did change the structure a little. The first to enter the play are Antigone and Ismene, who are engaging in conversation over defying the edict forbidding their brothers burial, which brings the audience to the present time. Shortly after, the chorus enters and recounts the reasons for the battle and death of Polyneices and Eteocles, brothers to Antigone and Ismene. The chorus appears every scene to serve as the voice of the culture, and counsels to the characters. “…Save those two of cruel fate, who, born of one sire and one mother, set against each other their twain conquering spears, and sharers in a common death.” (Oates, 192).…
Sophocles' The Three Theban Plays (King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus, and Antigone) are three tragedies depicting a shift beyond the beliefs of predetermination to the liberties of choice. Throughout the plays, the tragic hero, Oedipus unveils the truth behind the murder of his father, King Laius and the penalties that follow; consequently, Sophocles capably applies human characteristics to Oedipus to appeal at a broader spectrum. Sophocles utilizes vibrant imageries throughout these plays that uncover Oedipus’ humanisms. By illustrating Oedipus as a human, Sophocles sheds light on the truth of Oedipus’ inability to control his future. For this reason, Sophocles’ distinction behind Oedipus’ choices from his altercations symbolically show human…
Antigone, the eponymous character, is apart of the royal family in Greek society. Her uncle and interim king, Creon, decrees a rule that no one shall bury the body of her brother, Polyneices, as he is considered a traitor of Thebes. Despite the decree, Antigone still plans to bury her late brother. When asking her sister, Ismene, if she will join her in burying the body,…
Antigone is a story about two people who choose to make choices that each are passionate about and the consequences that follow. I can argue that the choice made by Antigone was noble and honorable because she was standing up for what she believed in. Antigone was trying to do what she felt was the right. She was standing up for her family. I think that many people would feel the same way in her situation. Antigone wanted to offer her brother the burial that she felt he deserved. Although it did not seem as though she agreed with what her brother had done she did believe in family loyalty.When Antigone approached Ismene with her proposal, Ismene said no. She justified her decision by telling Antigone that they were already punished and that there was no need to make matters worse for the two of them by defying Creon’s law.…
In the opening lines of the play a dialogue is occurring between Ismene and Antigone. In lines 14-29 Antigone is telling Ismene of her plan to bury Polyneices even though Creon forbids it. Ismene tells her “We are only women; We cannot fight with men…. We must give in to the law”. Ismene’s refusal and fear of breaking the law serves to emphasize Antigone’s stubbornness and hardheadedness. In scene 2 when Ismene tries to take partial blame for the burial of Polyneices, Antigone refuses her. This shows Antigone’s pride for her actions and her protectiveness and loyalty to her family. Ismene is included to act as a foil to Antigone’s character.…
Using the evidence from the play, it is clear that the characters in the story have realized what they have done wrong and they have broken the cycle of family violence. Throughout the play, the family members spit insults at each other and abuse each other emotionally. The first to do this is Antigone when she tells her sister “you will make me hate you, and the hatred of the dead by all rights, will haunt you night and day”(108-110). Ismene wants her sister to be safe and not make rash decisions but when she tries to help Antigone treats her like an enemy. Ismene loves her no matter what so she does not spit insults back at her. She is the only character who doesn’t act violently in the play and that is why she stays alive by the end of the…
Ismene was the other sister of Antigone and Polynices. She however, did not think that her family was important to her. Antigone told Ismene, "is he not my brother, and yours, whether you like it or not?, I shall never desert him, never," (1.1.39) but still Ismene didn 't want to help. Well, maybe she did but she refused to help Antigone bury their brother because she didn 't want to sacrifice her life. She didn 't like the idea of going against her uncle 's orders like as she says here " you cannot mean....to bury him? Against the order," (1.1.38). That showed that she didn 't have enough courage to go against the orders. However, towards the ending of the story she wanted to be a…