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How Are Ismene And Antigone Alike

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In Sophocles’ play Antigone, the majority of the conflict surrounds Antigone and her uncle, Creon. However, Antigone’s sister Ismene also is a character of interest throughout the play. The conflict that arises from Creon banning the proper burial of Polynices, Ismene and Antigone’s brother, presents a unique situation. According to the Greeks, without a proper burial one’s soul cannot move on to the afterlife. So, it was extremely important that a proper burial take place. THESIS As they are sisters, Ismene and Antigone share similar traits, but in other ways the sisters are strikingly different. While Antigone is defiant, free spirited, and edgy, Ismene is acquiescent, pliant, and soft. Antigone is liberated and extremely strong willed, while Ismene is content to recognize that “we are women,
[who] are not born to contend with men” (Sophocles 74-75). …show more content…

However, with Creon’s law that their brother, Polynices, not be given funeral rites and his promise to kill anyone who disobeys, both Ismene and Antigone must decide if their ultimate loyalty lies with the family or the state. For Ismene, the law of the state takes precedence over her commitment to her family. Since Creon is the new king, he is the physical manifestation of the law and thus the right thing to do is to obey the decree set forth by Creon, even though it asks Ismene and Antigone to disrespect their brother. Antigone choses to defy Creon’s law, and thereby sentences herself to death. On the other hand, Ismene believes

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As Ismene gives her advice to Antigone on whether or not she should bury their brother, Antigone disagrees with her sister's opinion and replies, “[h]e is my brother still, and yours;/ though you would have it otherwise,/ but I shall not abandon him” (Sophocles 345). Antigone decides to ignore her sisters advice, which she later reflects on when she is being sentenced by Creon, as she let her pride get the better of her by not listening to her sister. Due to her decisions, Antigone can be represented as a character who does not want to be proven wrong and doesn’t want to face the reality of others’ opinions.

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Antigone and Ismene both have different personalities. Antigone is a brave and rebellious individual. Ismene on the other hand is a loyal and honest to all. The sisters felt their brother, Polyneices, deserved a proper burial yet only Antigone was willing to go against the law of gods and the law of creon.

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Creon was crowned as the new king of thebes and believed to be the chosen by the gods and to rule in their stead. Creon, highlighted that as Polyneices was a traitor therefore, he shall not be buried and his body shall lie on the battleground for the food for birds and worms. Herein lies the dilemma; in Greek culture, the spirit of a body that is not buried by sundown on the day that it died cannot find rest but is doomed to walk the earth. There is a conflict between the law of King Creon, and the law of the gods. Antigone faced a hurdle that whether she should she accept the law of Creon and leave her brother to rot?

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Antigone follows the religious laws and Ismene follows the laws of men. Ismene says, “The law is strong, we must give in to the law”(Sophocles Prologue; 4-8), when Antigone asks her to help bury Polyneices. She is referring to the laws of men, Antigone however follows the rules of religion. Ismene follows the rules of the king by not helping Antigone bury their brother, because she doesn't want to disobey the king. She wants her brother to be buried, but believes more in the king than her own family or the gods.

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In a rage, Antigone Tells Ismene that she intends to bury Polynices in secret. When Ismene refuses to defy Creon, Antigone renounces her and leaves to bury the body by herself. Creon discovers that someone attempted to bury Polynices and demands the offender be brought to justice. When he discovers that Antigone defied him, he becomes

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Ismene and Dede are very similar and both have similar goals in mind, however the final outcome of their actions determines who more effectively achieves their goal. The fact that Ismene completely exits the play and Antigone's life while Dede becomes an influential figure, represents how Dede is more successful. Dede’s contribution to her sister’s reputations and stories, represent a great success for her, especially since she did not contribute to the revolution during the time her sisters were alive. If Dede decided to completely leave the life and revolution of her sisters, she would have become an irrelevant character, like Ismene. Instead Dede proudly dedicated a museum and statue to her sisters.

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Her determination leads to the destruction of Creon and herself, but her role as a part of her family does not stand in her determination to do what she believes to be right. It is for this reason that she is willing to destroy herself and Creon to achieve her duty to both her immediate family and the gods above Antigone’s desire to bury her brother proves her devotion to her family. Also, Ismene was a realistic person who followed the law and didn’t want Antigone to bury Polynieces. Even though, Ismene’s point of view was with the law, Antigone buried him any ways leading to her

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In the scene in which Creon will not allow her brother to be buried. This goes against her personal beliefs she confronts Creon when she says “if I had allowed my own mothers son to rot, an unburied corpse that would have been an agony.” Creon wouldn’t allow Antigone brother to be buried even tho Antigone felt it was the right thing to do. Antigone is talking to Ismene about burying her brother but Ismene tells her to keep the idea a secret but Antigone disagrees and says “But I know I’ll please the ones I’m duty bound to please.

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Her place in a society, run primarily by men, is to listen and obey but only if there’s not another option. In the beginning of the play, Ismene is questioning Antigone’s foretold actions of the burial of Polyneices. Ismene responds to Antigone in the pure intent of following the decree of Creon, “We cannot fight with men, Antigone! / The law is strong, we must give in to the law / In this thing, and in worse.”

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In the play Antigone, written by Sophocles, burial customs of the ancient Greeks play an extensive role. The women of the family perform the burial rites, and believed that if their distinct methods were not followed, the soul is destined to suffer between worlds until the correct rites were performed. Antigone, the sister of Polynices and Eteocles, is aware of this and is not going to stand by and let her brother, Polynices, linger between worlds in pain, after being killed by Eteocles. With her ambition and determination she does the deed, and of doing so she follows the god's laws, but breaks Creon’s laws in the midst of it. Creon is also aware of the burial rites but still decides, through his stubbornness, that Polynices shall not be performed these rites, because of his actions against Thebes.

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Antigone and Ismene are two major characters with two different personalities. One sister is very strong-willed and the other is compliant to whatever higher power there is. Antigone and Ismene both care for their family. Antigone is a strong-willed.

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Ismene has an internal conflict for not trying to help her sister when first asked, which is the reason for her trying to take some blame in the acts Antigone had done. Antigone and Ismene are both to be put to death but Creon relents on the executing off Ismene. Before Creon did so, Ismene is scorned by Antigone for her late attempt for trying to be righteous. Ismene has always believed in loyalty and has always been loyal to her family. Even though she made a late decision and it is rejected by Antigone she is still loyal to her family by offering her help after she denied it to Antigone the first

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In the play Antigone, Sophocles demonstrates the conflict between family and God through the characters of Antigone, Ismene and Creon. Antigone being ambitious and strong willed throughout the play, fights for his brothers honor and proper burial while Ismene on the other hand, is more timid fears the consequences that may occur if the laws are broken. For Creon he is the King and holds most power, until the Gods feel he is incapable. Antigone, Ismene and Creon all use logical and emotional appeals to achieve a compromise to either bury Polynices or not.

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Antigone believes she should have the right of her brother’s burial. Creon states, “No one shall burry him, no one mourn for him” (Sophocles 2) illustrating that Polyneicis is irrelevant in the city of Thebes. The law in Greek society is a female should not have power or freedom over any circumstance. Antigone demands rights over her brother and will not accept

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