Antigone: "Is he not my brother, and yours, whether you like it or not? I shall never desert him, never."
Ismene: "How could you dare, when Creon has expressly forbidden it?" (128)
This quote shows the true colors of both of these characters, Antigone would rather defy Creon and his laws to honor her brother, while Ismene would rather take the more cautious approach of obeying the law that Creon has decreed. My question is why is Antigone so ready to break the law in order to honor their brother while Ismene is hesitant and unwilling to do so?
I think Antigone has a stronger personality than her sister and takes more free her father than Ismene. Antigone is stated to be as stubborn as her father and this makes her more of a stronger personality, thus making her more willing to do what she wants. Ismene however does not seem to share her sister’s stubbornness and thus is much more passive and submissive
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to be in this situation as the sisters because it is almost impossible to honor one brother without dishonoring the other. Antigone's decision to bury Polynices despite his betrayal makes Eteocles death defending the city worth much less. I think Ismene is hesitatnt to bury Polynices not just because it is illegal in Creon's eyes but because she loves Eteocles and doesn't want to dishonor him by burying the man who turned on him.
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