Antigone: Gender Difference and Power As we are all aware that for generations, gender difference and power have been an issue for centuries. That being said the play Antigone by Sophocles, displays many examples of these struggles. The main topics that will be discussed, are: Antigone’s background history in Oedipus the King, the conflict between Creon the king of Thebes and Antigone, the gender difference and power. In order to know who Antigone is, you must know some of her and her families background, which is from the play of Oedipus the King. In Sophocles play Oedipus the King, the King Laius and his wife Jocasta, who ruled at that time had a child and was foretold by an oracle “that the child born by his queen Jocasta would slay his father and wed his mother” (ancient-mythology.com). The child that was born had a birth defect leaving his legs bound together, so the King and Queen wanted to prevent this prophecy from happening so they left the baby to die on Mount Corinth. The infant boy was found by shepherds and adopted by the King of Corinth who named him Oedipus (ancient-mythology.com). Many years later Oedipus ventured to Thebes and on his way there he encountered a man and killed him. Whom was Laius …show more content…
In the beginning of the play Antigone, both brothers, Polynices and Eteocles fought each other over the throne of Thebes, and both die. According to heythropthinkingsociety.wordpress.com, Creon took over the throne after their death, Creon denied having Polynices body buried “as punishment for his rebellion against Thebes.” His body was to stay outside the city walls to decay. This outraged Antigone. She and her sister Ismene argue about Antigone’s decision to bury their bother against King Creon’s orders. Seeing it unjust to not allow her brother to be buried. So she plotted to bury Polynices deifying the