Analytical Essay, Is Antigone the 1st Feminist of Her Time?

Essay by jennatCollege, UndergraduateA, September 2009

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The following essay is about the argument whether Antigone who battled for justice at all costs should be considered as the first feminists of her days or she was just a strong willed woman that was capable to stand against Creon's laws. I will attempt to support my analysis and conclusion through premises that I feel they are practical and acceptable.

Antigone is one of the examples of the Greek literature work where fate and tragedy are the main themes that are influenced by the Greek mythology, they believed in the power of gods and divinity laws, in addition, they believed in the afterlife where the person's spirit can reach the afterlife only if a ritual and proper funeral is performed. Sophocles which is the author tried to portray the concept of fate and believes in the play through the actions of the characters, therefore I considered the genius of Sophocles is that his writings are deeper and more complex, than to classify his heroine as either a feminist which I think is just a creation of 20th century or a head strong woman, the protagonist Antigone was faced with the dilemma of either slavishly follow a man-made law or be courageous enough in challenging Creon and keeping her priority to please the gods and honor a member of her family by burying Polyneices, she witnessed the injustice in Creon's decision and she had to opposed it.

As I was reading this work of fiction of Sophocles, although I did before when I was in high school, I reflected upon Dr Martin Luther King, Jr whom I wasn't exposed to before, in his words in the Letter from a Birmingham Jail where he wrote: "One may well ask, How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? The...