Though conventional patriarchal beliefs seem to perpetuate the dominance of men and subordination of women, Shakespeare and Sophocles seem to question the validity of those beliefs in their plays, Macbeth and Antigone, with their radically heterodox female characters-they neither conform with the loving tenderness nor the acquiescence and tendency to submit to authority commonly associated with women. ... Sophocles' counterexample against the conventional biases of women being tender and loving is the main character Antigone in his play, Antigone. ... Even with Ismene's continuous w...

• Word Count: 1748
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However, in the tragedies of the fifth century, women were dominant major characters that were seen as heroines. ... The character of Clytemnestra in Aeschylus" Agamemnon is very masculine and is shown posses some male traits. ... Euripides Medea is one of the tragedies that shows a woman dominating the rest of the characters in the play. This female character throughout the play criticises the conditions of women and they way they were treated. ... These female characters are just some of the complex, intelligent strong women that appear in Greek tragedy, who seem t...

• Word Count: 1759
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School