Antigone symbolizes the modern woman who knows how and when to fight for her and her family’s rights. Unlike Ismene, she was not afraid to disobey Creon in order to give her brother a proper burial. She strongly believes that no law surpasses that of the Gods and that Creon’s mind has been corrupted by his desire for more power. Antigone knows her place as a woman but she did not let this stop her from doing what she thought was right. Antigone speaks with confidence; you can feel the strength of her words and how strongly she believes in what actions must be done. She seems like a woman with such pride (as seen in her confrontation with Ismene); its either you choose to do what’s right immediately or be shut from her life forever…It makes you think that she sees life as a two way road – its either this way or that. If you believe that you should take route A, then take it now. Don’t go halfway down route B and choose to go back because you will almost always have only one chance to make things right in life. Antigone felt that Ismene would rather follow a ruler whose clearly insane than stand up for what her brother deserves. Antigone is a brave woman because she’s willing to risk it all – her life, her fiancé, her sister, and her future in order to give Polyneices the burial she promised him.
I like your take on the comparison of Antigone and Ismene’s differences in their actions. Antigone is definatly more stubborn and determined than Ismene throughout the story but i don’t think ismene is scared of doing whats right because in the end she was also willing to sacrafice everything in order to protect her sister by claiming the actions were her’s. i think they both symbolize a type of person, neither female or male. rational v. irrational or strongly religious v. law abiding. i was just trying to figure out what ismene would symbolize if you said antigone is the modern woman. would she be a slave? since she does as she is told by the person who can take away her life like creon owns her.