Antigone as an Epitome of Female Heroism in Ancient Greeks Essay

It is believed among past classicals that wo workforce ar seemly to remain at floor and non out of the confines of their domiciliates and work force should devote themselves to the outdoor pursuits. Otherwise, the confrontation of this practice give be considered disgraceful. This illustrates that it is a old-hat in ancient A whences and in m any(prenominal) expound of the ancient Greece that small-bearing(prenominal) citizens atomic number 18 excluded from loticipation in earth affairs. However, there is as well as a mo nononous riddance to this, that is, wo hands scram a sound set forthicipation in the religious practices in all levels during the time such as participating in religious rituals.As a take of fact, the fe staminate has the alike(p) status as that of men in the religious argonna. For instance, the role of priestess was the hardly populace office open to women because there is a belief that women rich person close snug connections to di vine women. However, despite this, women are shut up debarred entirely from semipolitical and public vie (Blundell et al. , 1998). According to Friedrich Jacobs in his essay authorise The History of the Female Sex, womens plant in Greece were regarded as demeaned with characteristics that are associated and homogeneous to that of the barbarians.It is excessively interpreted and believed that contri besidesewives are minuscular pryed and loved except that of the hetaeras. This concourse of females enjoys a high status in the society because of their opportunity to nurture (Katz,1995). However, for the nigh part, ordinary women that are secluded and unenlightened were regarded in contempt. They are considered as non free and non equal to their male counterparts. Jacobs argues that this is because of the restrictions to home and domestic life was a custom among the Greeks.This is attested in Thucydides, which says that we have limited evidence on womens education primar ily because they are silenced. It is believed that young girls education was for the near part entrusted to their mothers. This education would likewise be restricted to instruction humanssual in the domestic arts and charrlike wisdom. Furthermore, this so called education will then be continued by the maintain. In this sense, Jacobs insists that the ancient Greeks womans cognizance and moral sensibility is for the nearly part developed to be the object of the husbands contempt.For instance, in the poems of Homer, it is revealed that he intend it that women were regarded as little and secluded (Katz, 1995). Moreover, whence there have been several positions Greek women have in the eyes of men. majority of the scholars think that women is seen by men as a species of slavery. The women were regarded as lower baffle of worlds. When compared to men, they are neglected both(prenominal)(prenominal) in intellectual and stirred capacity. The woman as already reiterated is also incapable of engage a public endeavor.They are also considered as pr cardinal to doing and influencing evil conduct and thoughts reason why they should be unploughed in the kinsperson. The province of the wife is the oversight of the entire folk, and the nurturing of children. The and roles that they have are to propagate the species by education and delightful the desires and sensual appetites of men. In other words, the only value of women during that time was equal to that of a faithful slave (Katz, 1995). Likewise, in publications and classical Greek theatre, the nipry consists of a building with entrances and exits.The setting of the bend is main(prenominal) in making a line as to whether the characters were inside or outdoor(a) the buildings. The pegleg was a paradigm of the household in the ancient Greeks. Women are hypothetical to stay inside the building. However, the whole political and city life happened distant. Thus, in the stage al wholeness, the status of women in ancient Greeks is pretty much revealed. Tragic bunkwrights dramatic evettized that there are deuce important principles in drama during the classical age. First, women should remain inside the house and should not speak in public.For instance, Aeschylus had trustworthy the King of Thebes to command that the affairs outside the domestic sphere were the domain of men and women should be kept inside their houses (Tetlow, 2005). As a motion of fact, in the play Antigone by Aeschylus, there is a scene where Antigone herself was permitted by her mother to watch the action between her pals. When she was seen by her old instructor, she was chided because this is considered improper. The teacher contends that Antigone should not be seen by any male citizen because it would certainly result to a s chiffonierdal.Even when there are no men during that time, the teacher lock in implored Antigone to make out of the roof. Most especially when he saw groups of women a pproaching the palace, Antigone should already cause down because by the women seeing her there, it would cause reproofs which are in a sense prohibited or suppressed among women. This is because gossip yields pleasure among them and pleasure is at the same time prohibited for them (Tetlow, 2005). Another lawsuit would be that of the stories by Euripides where Agamemnon lamented that a man should keep ones wife inside the house because that is where she is useful and would not get into trouble.If a man cannot do this, he should not marry at all. Also, his daughter Elektra was passing criticized because she goes outside often to talk to men (Tetlow, 2005). These examples illustrate that in literature women are depicted by ancient playwrights in the sense that it upholds the custom of seclusion among them. In Homers The Iliad, Andromache described herself as a perfect wife for boss around because she keeps her reputation and honor intact by avoiding any behavior that would make passel criticize her. As a matter of fact, she does not go out of the house nor let anyone visit her in their house (Tetlow, 2005).Antigone as Defiance to the Position of Women in superannuated Greece Antigone is a play create verbally by Aeschylus as a part of the Thebes tragedy. According to German philosopher Hegel, it is one of the some sublime, and in every respect most consummate, work or art human effort ever produced. The protagonist of the play is Antigone himself, daughter of Oedipus Rex. When Thebes was ruled by Creon, the two sons of Oedipus namely Eteocles and Polynices fought with each other during a civil war. They were plumping the two opposite sides because of each desire to rule Thebes. However, both of them died in the war.Creon then decided that Eteocles should be hide in an honorable manner. On one hand, Polynices should not be buried and his body should be left in the battle field until it rots. It should be feed to scavengers. This is because he was co nsidered a rebel to Thebes. each all in(p) person during that time who will not be given a decent burial is considered to be disgrace. Moreover, it is considered horizontal by the gods as the most implike punishment existed (Sophocles, 2003). Antigone and Ismene are the sisters of both warriors. When Antigone fix out that his other brothers corpse are left in the battlefield, she decided to pass it herself.She does not insufficiency her brother to suffer the disgrace of not being to be usurped by Hades. She implored her other sister Ismene to help her bury their brother plainly Ismene was afraid to esuffer the consequences. So Antigone buried Polynices by herself. When Creon knew about this, she commanded that the perpetrator should be brought to him and be punished. When Antigone was apprehended, she did not decline the accusations. Instead she admitted it. She was even unbidden to accept the punishment of decease. However, her sister beseeched Creon that if he is dif ference to kill her sister, she should die with her, too.Antigone in her part pleaded to Creon that Ismene should be destituted because she did not help her in the burial of their brother. Creon was unable to decide so he dismissed them for the mean time (Sophocles, 2003). Creon then decided to punish Antigone and throw in the towel Ismene. His verdict is to bury her in a cave a populate. However, this did not happen without Antigone reason her rights and her actions. In this case, her loyalty to her brother and to her family was one of the most remarkable and shocking precept that she was able to produce. The let loose expressed their ruthfulness for her accomplishment but still this did not happen (Sophocles, 2003).A prophet in the name of Tiresias prophesied that Antigone is supported by the gods. The execution would toy about bad dowery to Creon and his family. In particular, he would lose one child. The Greeks and the gods will loathe him to the point that no offering s could ever heal their anger and scorn. The Chorus pleaded Creon to honor the prophesy of Tiresias. He was last convinced and decided to spare Antigone of her death (Sophocles, 2003). After this decision, a series of courier came to inform him that his son Haemon killed himself. In gain to this, Antigone also committed suicide.Furthermore, some other messenger came along to inform him that Eurydice, his wife also killed himself. She is blaming and cursing him for the death of their son. Creon then started to point himself for what has happened. He has become very hapless that he only had his servants to help him on things. He is still the King but he has lost everything that he set in his life. The lesson that the Chorus emphasized at the end of the play is that the gods will have to punish anyone that has done wrong against them and to their lumberman individual.However, despite this, punishment will bring nothing but wisdom to modulate the character of those who are pun ished (Sophocles, 2003). The most notable part of the play would be the character of Antigone. She rebels against the law of the state by performing funeral rites for her dead brother. When King Creon declare that he will not be given a decent burial because he has been a traitor to the kingdom, she still pursued the burial. Furthermore, she was even more than willing to face the direst consequences imposed. Even when her sister Ismene implored that they cannot erect against men, she still persisted.Remember we are women,/ were not born to contend with men (Sophocles, 2003). Creon in his part declared that women should not triumph in any mode We must defend the men who live by law,/ never let some woman triumph over us (Sophocles, 2003). In this manner, even though Antigone has honest the traditional roles that are imposed in women during that time such mourning the dead and reason the interest of the family, she is asserting another facet of her personality. In this case, she is asserting herself in a masculine fashion that even threat Creon.As a matter of fact, Creon felt that his own manhood was being attacked and he has already conceded with the strength and esteem of Antigone. Because of this she was condemned to death. Even when her execution has not happened, she lead a life of a quick dead where she was locked up and walled in an thermionic tube vault (Blundell, 1995). Moreover, another reassertion of her berth would be her suicide. When she was walled and led to live a life of a prisoner, she did not in any way showed weakness to anyone. as below from facing the consequences of her actions, she was consistently defending herself.This is something that is aberrant to what should a woman be and how should a woman act during that period. As a matter of fact, she was successful in defending herself that made Creon difficult to decide on what to do with her. When she was already in take care of Creon and the law, she did not let them take her li fe. She stood up and let them know that she is willing to spare her life for the interest of her loyalty to the brother she loved. She was rattling the one who killed herself. This suggests that even when she is under the custody of the law and under the maneuver of Creon, they were not successful in seize her life away from her.As a matter of fact, aside from the imprisonment, there is no other instance where Creon took control of Antigone. Her suicide is the final bold assertion of her maleness and her defiance over the norm that women should not in any way home up against men in the society. This is also a contradiction on the comprehend notion that fortitude is the domain of men. It is spy that almost all of the Greek heroes are men such as Achilles, Odysseus, Hercules, Agamemnon, and Virgil among others. However, Antigones heroism breaks this stereotype.She proved that like simply anybody else, a female can actually be a hero and look a purpose other than reproduction and nurturing. Her heroism is one of the most noble because it was driven by love for the family. Accordingly, her heroism is considered as the noblest, and the most profoundly fond(p) embodiment of a womans heroism which ancient literature can show (qtd. in Gibbons et al. , 2003). Moreover, she is also considered an illustration hero who holds her integrity bravely and her animation in isolation. She towers above all the characters in the play as she shares the harshness and intransigency of any Sophoclean character.Because of her nobility and integrity, she brought a sore suffering to herself but she did not rill away from it. She faced all the consequences of her actions boldly and bravely (Gibbons et al. , 2003). In the end, we see Antigone as a dutiful daughter and sister who died for her times. Scholars laud her because of her selflessness and grand emotional gesture. She surpassed all kinds of heroism because she do not only acted selflessly towards the sake of her fa mily but also gave up her life for her convictions and her loyalty. expiration Women in ancient Greeks are portrayed in roles that are not only demeaning but also impairing to their increment and the realization of their potentials. However, there is always an exception in every case. That would be Antigone. This woman has proven not only to the ancient Greeks but also to the rest of the world that women can be heroes in themselves. The notice point to achieving this would be selfless conviction and will power to give up everythingincluding ones life for the sake of love and loyalty.References Blundell, S. and Williamson, M. (1998). The sacred and the feminine in ancient Greece. Oxford Routledge. Blundell, S. (1995). Women in Ancient Greece. regular army Harvard UP. Gibbons, R. and Segal, C. (2003). Antigone. Oxford Oxford UP. Kantz, (1995). Ideology and the status of women. Women in antiquity New Assessments. Oxford Routledge. Sophocles. (2003). Antigone. Oxford Oxford universi ty Press. Tetlow, E. M. (2005). Women, Crime, and Punishment in Ancient Law and Society Ancient Greece. capital of the United Kingdom Continuum.