Sophocles Antigone and Ibsens A Dolls House - 612 Words

In Sophocles’ Antigone and Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, both authors create women protagonists, Antigone and Nora, who challenge societies’ traditional expectations in different ways. Antigone defies and challenges the rules of her uncle and King of Thebes, Creon. Nora, on the other hand, goes against the norm of her society by first forging her father’s signature on a loan and deceiving her husband, Torvald. Although both Antigone and Nora’s societies possess similarities regarding a woman’s place and purpose, they both rebel against a woman’s societal expectations in substantially different ways with the similar pure motives, which as a result leads to two different freeing conclusions. All literary criticism is expressed through genuinely different opinions of a piece of literature because it is from another person’s point of view. Many critics argue differing theories regarding Antigone and Nora’s motives for making great sacrifices in order to escape oppression and challenge the rule of man resulting in their different denouements. Frank Bernhard makes his own criticized interpretation of Antigone’s motives, â€Å"we could interpret Antigones remarkable lack of interest in her fiancà © [and cousin], Haemon, as an attempt to disengage herself from the incest of her familys past†¦That would explain Antigones recurrent death wish that culminates in her suicide by hanging† (Bernhard 170). Lorraine Markotic criticizes Nora’s motives arguing that, â€Å"Nora does not really want to disruptShow MoreRelatedComparison of A Dolls House and Antigone1248 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom ‘The Empowered Woman’ by Sonny Carroll In my mind, Sonny Carroll’s poem perfectly represents what an empowered woman should be; firm, determined and able to stand on her own feet. The characters of Nora and Antigone, from Henrik Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ and Sophocles’ ‘Antigone’ respectively, completely fit my description of ‘the empowered woman’. As inspiring figures, they left me wondering how they maintained their identities even in their patriarchal societies. What touched my heart theRead More Comparison Between the Characters of Antigone and A Doll’s House1456 Words   |  6 PagesA Comparison Between the Characters of Antigone and A Doll’s House   Ã‚  Ã‚   There have always been fundamental differences between the mentalities of the male and female sexes. At one time, women were considered as a possession of the father or husband. Women were denied participation in public life, they had restricted access to education, and they werent legally allowed to own property. This oppression of women did not prevent them from fighting for, and obtaining, equal rights.   It seems thatRead More A Comparison of Antigone and A Dolls House Essay688 Words   |  3 PagesSimilarities in  Antigone and A Dolls House    Ibsens A Dolls House has been called the first modern play. The play was considered revolutionary because it broke several molds which had endured for centuries. Incredibly, much of what was considered revolutionary first appeared in Sophocles play, Antigone - one of the first plays in existence.    In merely looking at the surface, one notices right away that both plays are significant in that they avoid the social temptation ofRead MoreComparison Of Antigone And The Dolls House1400 Words   |  6 PagesAnother theme that prevails in both the plays is power. It is exactly what the two characters Creon and Helmer in both the plays namely Antigone and the Dolls house had. Creons tyrannical power on a macro scale as a ruler with Helmers high handed treatment of his wife on a micro level as head of a family is to be discussed in this essay. Both men come across as misogynists. Their quickness to judge and judge harshly seems to be emphasized in both cases. Creon is shown with diverse relationsRead More Literary Analysis of Feminism Seen in Antigone and A Doll’s House1963 Words   |  8 Pages Susan B. Anthony once said, â€Å"The true republic: men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.† In the plays Antigone, by Sophocles, and A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen, strong women overcome restrictions and limitations placed upon them by their society and gender. In Antigone, Antigone chooses to defy Creon, her ruler, uncle, and a male authority figure, to support what she believes is right, which is burying her brother and respecting the gods. Though it was forbiddenRead MoreJane Austens Novel Sense and Sensibility: An Analysis1492 Words   |  6 Pageswith other authors like Woolf. Similarly, Austens novel Sense and Sensibility offers no social criticism. Austen does not critique patriarchy; she simply celebrates it, even if she does present life from a female point of view. Henrik Ibsens play A Dolls House show how the patriarchal marriage institution turns women into non-entities, treated like little dolls just as the narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper is treated by her husband. Patriarchal marriage is a farce, and is a fragile version ofRead MoreA Doll House by Henrik Ibsen7379 Words   |  30 PagesMa. Jennifer S. Yap Dr. Sherwin Perlas World Literature January 14, 2012 A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen Translated by Rolf Fjelde I. Introduction During the late nineteenth century, women were enslaved in their gender roles and certain restrictions were enforced on them by a male dominant culture. Every woman was raised believing that they had neither self-control nor self-government but that they must yield to the control of a stronger gender. John Stuart Mill wrote in his essay, â€Å"The Subjection