Characters of Antigone in "Antigone" and Nora in "A Doll's House" Essay

Introduction

Have you ever thought of the gender-segregated roles in the ancient societies? "Antigone" is a Greek play written in 441 BC by Sophocles whereas the Norwegian play "A Doll's House," was written by Henrik Ibsen in 1877. Both plays are similarly styled in the aspect that they have few characters with single scenes, the only scene in the "Antigone being in the palace whereas the scene of "A Doll's House" takes place in the family living room. Both plays revolve around two influential women who can go against the societal ties and norms for the sake of what they considered right and for their families. Focusing on the two female characters, Antigone from Sophocles play and Nora from Ibsen's play, the paper set to bring out a comparison of the two characters, mainly covering their similarities.

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Defying Gender-Segregated Roles in Ancient Societies

From the two plays, both "Antigone" and "Nora" go against the fundamental expectation of women in their societies. They break the laws of the land and can go against men. This particular aspect is seen when Nara forges her father's signature to attain a loan. She also manages to deceive her husband Torvalds throughout their marriage. Antigone, on the other hand, does not relent from her efforts to bury her brother against the will of her uncle and the ruler of Thebes, Creon. "And if I have to die for this pure crime, I am content, for I shall rest beside him" (Honig 42). Antigone insists on burying her brother. They go against the men in their lives as opposed to the societal expectation. Both characters have restrained broken the barriers of social isolation as well as the standardized behaviors set in the two societies. The Thebes society has established specific rules which enable male domination, a fact that was never recognized by Antigone as she opted to go against the stated laws. Nora's society expected women to act as dolls and could always operate under the command of men. Actions such as borrowing of money could only be done with the consent of men. Nora with her strength was able to go against all the odds and managed to take specific actions without necessarily asking for the men's approval.

Challenging Male Chauvinism and Discrimination

The two protagonists faced discrimination and were confronted with male chauvinism, getting constant undermining by the domineering, egocentric males. Ibsen expresses this when Helmer tries at any opportunity to belittle his wife, Nora. He uses the most demeaning titles to refer to Nora. "Can't I look at my richest treasure? At all beauty that is all mine?"(Ibsen 149) .With a whole notion that he owns his wife, Helmer treats Nora as a subordinate who should always be beneath his shoes. In similar accordance, Antigone faces the discrimination and the belittlement from her uncle. Creon claims that he can never be ruled by a woman, putting Antigone in a lower stature based on the fact that she is female.Both Nora and Antigone could be considered tragic heroes, bearing the fact that they took decisions they regarded to be morally right only to end up losing. They also had to go against the people with whom they shared family ties. Antigone in her decision to bury her brother knocks head with her uncle, the king. Her resistance and the decision to pursue what she considered right led her to lose her own life. Nora also went against her husband's domineering rules and in the end lost her family without really knowing whatever the future held for her (Ibsen 32). The two protagonist women were strong-willed and did not fear to have to lose in the long run.

Tragic Heroes: Nora and Antigone

In both plays, the two controversial characters are blamed to have carried the sins from the previous generations. Both of them are purported to have inherited some sins which would lead to their suffering, from their fathers. Creon accuses Antigone of being a real daughter of Oedipus based on her actions, an insinuation that Oedipus worthlessness matches that of Antigone. In a similar instance, Helmer refers to his wife as a real identity to her father. Helmer claims that Nora must have inherited her traits from her father. The two characters are therefore judged based on the past mistakes of other people for which they did not have any responsibility. The two characters had high value for families. They were both ready to do anything for their family members. Nora went against the societal norms for the love of her family. In order not to crush her husband's ego; she decided to borrow for money for his wellbeing. Nora did not pay attention to what would happen after her actions. Antigone, in the same way, showed her support for her family throughout the play. Having to travel to avoid the prophesized killing of her brothers and then finally the burying of his brother Polynices against the king's orders were some of the sacrifices she had to make for her value of family and family ties.

Unyielding Determination: Pursuing Their Goals

The protagonists are not in any way swayed from achieving their desired goals. "I must make up my mind, which one is right, society or I" (Ibsen 70). Nora said as she decided to leave her home. They would always stick to whatever they wanted to achieve. To pay her debt, Nora saved whatever the allowance she was given by her husband. Antigone on the other side insisted on her aim regardless of her failing attempts to bury her brother. She even duped the nurse before carrying out her plans. The two women were therefore instrumental in the implementation of their plans. Both dramatists revealed through the two characters, individuals who believe that their actions are justified within the given contexts. Regardless of the many objections, the two women did not consider their choices faulty. From the beginning of the play, Antigone was frequently persuaded by her sister Ismene to give in to the demands of their uncle the king (Honig 56). The strong-willed Antigone could not give up her decision even though it would cost her of her life. Similarly, Ibsen depicts Nora in a scene where Krogstad tries to blackmail her and accuses her of being responsible for the breaking of her family. Mrs. Helmer, however, insists that her action was for a justified course and was even ready to face death as the consequence.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the two authors of the contemporary play Antigone and the doll's house depicts two females who are similar in different aspects. Their counter-actions highly overshadow the unique theme of feminism presented by Nora and Antigone in the male-dominated societies. The two women share in their breaking away from the antagonistic male domineers. They are strong-willed and determined to achieve whatever they are set to do. The two women who are the principal characters in the two novels are ready to go against the societal norms due to their love and value for family members. They went against the laws of the land and the dominating males in their lives. The result of their actions is their loss with one losing her life and the other losing her family.

Works Cited

Henrik, Ibsen. A Doll's House. Lerner Publishing Group, 2014.

Honig, Bonnie. Antigone interrupted. Cambridge University Press, 2013.