Antigone Essay, Research Paper

Analysis on the conflict men v. women found in Antigone

Many conflicts can be found within various plays. In Sophocles’ Antigone one of the many conflicts found is men versus women. The king of Thebes, Creon, has a problem with women. But not only the king, Ismene, Antigone’s sister as well refers to herself and her sister as being inferior to men.

Women generally do not have the courage to stand up to their husbands. Yet Antigone is brave enough to disobey Creon’s law and ready to face the consequences. Her sister on the other hand is not this courageous. Ismene, instead says, “we are only women, we cannot fight with men, Antigone! The law is strong, we must give into the law in this thing, and in worse” (923, Sophocles).

Within the conflict of men versus women, Creon automatically assumes the killer is a man. When Creon is talking to the Sentry in scene one he says, “the man who has don’t this thing shall pay for it! Find that man … bring me that man!” (929). Creon is quick to blame the crime on a man. Not once did it cross his mind that the one whom was guilty of burying Polyneices could have been a woman.

After the Sentry revealed Antigone to Creon and she confessed to burying her brother, the king was still baffled. Then Ismene and Antigone were arguing whether they were equally guilty or not. The Creon replies, “one has just now lost her mind; the other, it seems, has never had a mind at all” (934). Again he goes on and insults women. He makes women look weak and less then men.

Throughout the play, Creon continues to criticize women. He makes them look like they do not have a mind of their own; “for they are but women, and even brave men run when they see Death coming” (934). The conflict between men and women is shown throughout Sophocles’ Antigone. Creon himself has a problem with women and Ismene knows that she is a woman and should not get involved.