Antigone

             The Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines a heroine as "a legendary woman who is admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities." In the play, "Antigone," the main character Antigone goes against all authority in an effort to give her brother, Polynices, a proper burial. It is these courageous actions and her unwavering stoicism which truly make her an ideal heroine throughout the play. According to Katharine Cornell, it was Antigone's uncompromising faith in what she believed that truly guided her, and thus, she is to be admired and loved. Through understanding Antigone's strong sense of womanhood and femininity and her bravery to go against the authority of the king, one can see that Antigone is truly a Heroine. .
             Throughout the play, Antigone shows that she is quite different from other women of her time, and expresses her genuine femininity. After she learns that her brother, Polynices, will be left to rot without a proper burial, she becomes infuriated. She immediately goes to her sister, Ismene, to see is she will help her with the burial. Ismene tells Antigone that she does not want to get involved because she is a woman, and women do not undermine the authority of any man. This can be expressed when Ismene exclaims, "We are women/ we are not born to contend with men. Then too, / we"re underlings, ruled by much stronger hands, / so we must submit in this, and things still worse" (ln 74-77). Antigone believes that women do have a voice and that even though they are viewed as inferior by society's standards, they must still do what is right. She yearns to please the "kingdom down below" (ln. 90), rather than please a king whom she has no respect for. As a woman, Antigone feels women are just as powerful as men, and believes that she can have just as great as an impact as any other human. Such opinion shows that Antigone does not give Creon additional respect either because he is a man in a patriarchal society or because he is king.