Alannie Cervantes
The expectations of women in ancient Greek society consisted of the duties of
being a mother and wife while maintaining family loyalty. In Sophocles’ Antigone (c.
441 B.C.E.), these expectations compel the sisters, Antigone and Ismene, to occupy
opposite ends of the spectrum of femininity and to function as “foils” for each other
based on their own ideas of how women should act. This essay discusses the
significance of the societal expectations imposed on women within ancient Greek
society, as they not only affect the behaviors of the female characters in Sophocles’
tragedy, but also how their actions impact their broader society. Ismene’s character
can be seen as portraying the archetype of the “perfect” or “conventional” woman
since she prioritizes these expectations of obedience and loyalty to family, causing her
to be deeply affected by the loss of family members in the play. The complex dynamic
of Antigone’s and Ismene’s sisterhood highlights their contrasting roles, explaining
their differing approaches towards femininity. While some may argue that the stark
difference in the sisters’ actions is a result of their contrasting personalities, Ismene’s
actions and views are fueled by their sisterly relationship within the context of an
ancient Greek society where women are expected to be loyal and family oriented.
Women in ancient Greece were expected to seclude themselves from society,
prioritize their household duties, and raise and obey the paternal lineage of a family.
Sheila Murnaghan notes that “elite women in particular were expected to lead
secluded lives” (xi). Despite their royal status, Antigone and Ismene are treated no
differently from other Greek women; they are isolated from the common areas of
society, and they are expected to uphold the paternal interests of their family.
Commenting on the need to include gender politics when discussing Antigone, Amy
E. Story notes that “Antigone, as a Greek woman, is denied access to the political
realm and […] her act of rebellion against the political sphere is her only real means
of acting at all” (176). The lack of political and societal power for women in ancient
Greece fuels Antigone’s actions of perceived societal disobedience. Antigone’s actions
are compelled by her beliefs that true family loyalty to her dead parents and brothers
requires her to disobey the law. She prioritizes the peace and wellbeing of her family
over societal approval, demonstrating her devotion to familial duty over social
standing
This familial duty is closely tied to the preservation and emphasis on the
paternal lineage in ancient Greek society. Antigone is seen as prioritizing her natal
family over her soon-to-be marital family, but her decision “to sacrifice the living
(herself and Ismene, who is left alone and devastated) on behalf of the dead reflects
the social values that make brothers more important than sisters, men in general more
significant than women” (17980). Antigone demonstrates this way of thinking when
she states: “I have to please / the dead far longer than the living; / I will lie with them
forever” (ll. 7476). Although Antigone’s loyalty to Polyneices is based on the
perception she will have a transcendent connection with him in death, she fails to
view her fidelity as an extension of the prioritization of the paternal lineage in her
family, and she confesses to Ismene (and to the audience) the lesser value their sisterly
relationship has in comparison to her loyalty to Polyneices. Antigone subconsciously
adheres to the expectations of ancient Greek women by prioritizing the men in her
family. Thus, her rejection of Ismene, even as she attempts to maintain familial
loyalty, is the first stage of their complex sisterly relationship.
Ismene’s character in Antigone can be interpreted as a commentary on the
ideals of perfection and conventionality that ancient Greek society imposed on
women. More aware of these expectations than her sister, Ismene dutifully follows
these ideals. Since she recognizes the potential repercussions of Antigone’s actions,
Ismene attempts to dissuade her sister from a path that will leave them isolated and
suffering. While Ismene keeps these expectations at the forefront of her mind, her
emotions also allow her to prioritize her family in a different manner than Antigone.
Jennet Kirkpatrick reminds us that the first lines in the play establish the sisterly bond
and tragic lineage Ismene and Antigone share. While Ismene’s first reaction is to help
her sister, “she [eventually] refuses Antigone, emphasizing that, as women, the sisters
are forced to yield to the unjust commands of men” (407). Ismene expresses this when
she states, “[W]e are women, / not suited by nature to fight against men, / properly
ruled by those who are stronger; / we have to accept such things and still worse” (ll.
6264). In saying this, Ismene dismisses her own grief over her brother’s death and
prioritizes the rules set in place by King Creon, her uncle. She has her own sense of
familial loyalty, predicated on the “stronger” institutional power of patriarchal society.
Ismene views her duty as a woman as one that respects and upholds the patriarchal
power symbolized by her uncle, King Creon. Ismene’s instilled values affect her
initial response to grieve, which follows along with the belief that women should not
display strong emotions in public and, instead, handle their feelings in the privacy of
their home. As a result, Ismene maintains her support for her sister in secrecy, aiming
to both honor her brother and ensure their wellbeing as women.
Ismene demonstrates her awareness of her social status while also indicating
that her actions are directed by the gender norms in her society rather than a genuine
desire to be obedient. Bonnie Honig states that Ismene “is ‘neithernor’: a quiet actor
willing to take some risks but not powerful enough to stem the tide of events”
(“Ismene’s” 44). While this idea of Ismene being a “neithernor” is demonstrated by
her reactions to Antigone’s ideas, she is in fact powerful enough to change the tide of
events, as her decision to ultimately support her sister fuels the anger of Creon, who is
influenced by the betrayal of his two nieces when punishing Antigone. This betrayal
strikes at the familial basis for Creon’s political leadership, which Ismene’s vocal
disobedience complicates and calls into question. Ismene directly states to Creon that
“Oh yes, I did it—if she agrees, that is. / I’ll take blame along with her” (ll. 53637).
In these lines, Ismene is again presenting her loyalty to family while also disobeying
the institutions she promised to uphold. Ismene is only willing to disobey the laws if
she is to gain her sister’s approval. Although Ismene’s need to seek acceptance from
others is instilled in her by patriarchal society, she is willing to be punished alongside
her sister. Ismene is much more concerned and affected by the consequences of her
disobedience and refusal to conform to the gender norms of ancient Greece, but she
also wants to honor her brother alongside her sister in an approach that adheres to the
womanly bond she shares with Antigone.
The complex sisterly relationship between Antigone and Ismene not only
causes them to act as “foils” to each other, but it also portrays them as opposites in
terms of femininity. Within a sibling relationship, it is common for sisters to act as
different individuals, changing their beliefs and behaviors to be distinct from one
another. Antigone’s outspokenness can be viewed as a masculine trait, but it can also
be interpreted as Antigone’s personal application of femininity. Feeling as if she must
balance this, Ismene is more submissive and compliant, influenced by her upbringing
of what an “ideal” Greek woman should be. Blake Tyrrell and Larry J. Bennett state
that Sophocles “unites them [Ismene and Antigone] as a pair and then has them differ
verbally. They separate, their separation causes more verbal violence, and they spring
further apart” (3). Sophocles is aware of the unspoken tension that lives amongst
women, even in familial bonds, and he uses this to further contrast Antigone and
Ismene. Stefani Engelstein states that “Ismene reads the two brothers as a double unit
and the two sisters as another […]. The sisters constitute two nonidentical but
transsubjective links in an alinear, synecdochal network” (47). The stark differences
between the sisters are seen as a product of their society rather than as an outcome of
their differing wants. Antigone feels that her sister also has a responsibility to honor
her brother, and “implies that her sister and she are ‘two persons or things which, by
nature or association, form a pair’” (Tyrrell and Bennett 5). The jointness of the sisters
and the link that will always connect them, in turn, makes them vulnerable, as “no one
can be left behind” (Engelstein 47). Once Ismene realizes she will be the lone survivor
of her family, she “confesses her act and then seeks her sister’s permission to confess”
(Honig, Antigone 164.). Honig points out that Ismene asking for Antigone’s
permission to confess is an act that can be seen as loyal and rational rather than weak.
If Antigone acts out of desire for justice and revenge, Ismene is led to believe she can
obtain this justice by taking an opposite approach to her sister. Although the sisters
share a common desire to honor their brother, ancient Greek society has conditioned
their approaches to femininity in a way that marks their differences.
Although there has been a tendency to read Ismene as “weak” and Antigone as
“strong” based on their actions, I argue that the sisters’ respective acts of resistance
are done in the need of balancing each other out. The patriarchal ideals imposed on
ancient Greek women like Ismene and Antigone influenced the sisters’ different
approaches to grief, familial responsibility, and femininity. While Antigone focuses
on family loyalty and honor at any cost, Ismene approaches this situation in a more
secretive manner due to her belief that women should not stand out too much in
public. The complicated relationship between Ismene and Antigone has allowed them
to be affected by gender norms differently, while also being intrinsically intertwined
by their blood bonds. As Ismene becomes aware of this jointness, she sides with her
sister, risking her life and displaying her true ambitions of honoring her brother. Both
Antigone and Ismene navigate and express their familial obligations on separate ends
of the spectrum of femininity, and the sisters learn to prioritize their family through
balancing their differences.