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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
In eight pages this paper examines how Sophocles utilizes Antigone’s twin sister Ismene as his tragedy’s foil in order to emphasize the gender distinctions in the politics and society of ancient Greece. Four sources are cited in the bibliography.
Page Count:
8 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGismene.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Unlike other early tragedians, Sophocles has a profound understanding of the significance of character development in the progression of plot and for thematic emphasis. This is never more apparent
in the dramatists Theban Plays, also known as The Oedipus Trilogy. Antigone (441 BC) is constructed to appear as the third tragedy in the trilogy, but is in fact
actually written first. Perhaps the premiere example of feminist literature, the plays theme focuses on the power and status of women within the political and social structures of ancient
Greece. Antigone also explores societys expectations where its members are concerned. In order to sufficiently drive home his message that women essentially had no status except what was
accorded to them by men, Sophocles elects to employ a device now commonly known as a foil. In literature, a foil is defined as "that which sets off or
heightens (often a contrast between themes, characters, symbols, etc.)" (Hill and Walton 589). The foil is a counterpoint to the protagonist, although they possess common characteristics. The protagonist
Antigones foil is her twin sister Ismene. They may have the same bloodlines, but that appears to be all they share. Antigone is a rebel who is willing
to defy King Creon in order to accord her brother Polynices with the proper burial his twin Eteocles received despite the fact that he was fighting on the opposing side.
Ismene serves as Antigones foil since she is a model of conformity and will refrain from doing anything to disturb the status quo. Because she refuses to deviate
from the "prevalent gender norms," her compliance "points up how radical her sister is" (Bovard 19). Sophocles reinforces the notion of
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