Gender Roles In Antigone

The social conventions of the ancient world are not widely known, making it more difficult to truly grasp and appreciate Antigone. If one is accustomed to life today, the more relatable or understandable factor in the play would be state oppression and civil disobedience. That is not to say that there is complete gender equality, but it has advanced considerably since the Classical Era. That is why my considerations of the work were enhanced. The oral elaborated on some of the customs and roles that women occupied and the work they carried out. How they were always with an appointed ‘guardian’ who controlled most aspects of the woman’s life, to make sure that she behaved, whilst the men could do as they pleased. Or how, an heiress would not
actually be able to own much, and nearly all inheritance went through a male line. They were in effect, second class citizens. This was the society when the play was originally acted out. The oral made me truly understand, how Antigone truly defied her gender roles. She did not have a guardian who would watch over her. She controlled, or at the very least tried to control, her own actions and would not be influenced by others if she believed those actions incorrect. The oral told us that women must be quiet and well behaved, so as to minimize their presence and influence in society. And yet, Antigone defies both these expectations as well, she is loud and out spoken and doesn't watch her etiquette especially when she believes she is being wronged. The oral also showed me how unprivileged a life women lived at that time, even if they were of a fairly high social status, they would be considered second to men. If a man disapproved of their actions, the woman most likely would not have been able to do them. This showed me just how polarized, in terms of gender and social customs, ancient Greek society truly was, not the advanced metropolitan state it is sometimes romanticized as.