as the power to enforce its rules. She does not address the central issue for Antigone--what action is truly right? Instead, she holds to a more expedient position, that the action to be taken is not one of choice and so will not be blamed on them by the gods.
Ismene serves an important role in this first scene. She is Antigone's sister, and therefore she can be presumed to be similar in outlook and experience. However, she has a very different view of the plan her sister unfolds, and it is she who suggests all the reasons why Antigone should not bury Polyneikes, even though Ismene is also his sister and also would like to see him buried. Ismene is the sister Antigone asks to help her, and when she refuses, Antigone is on her own. Her determination to perform this task anyway shows how truly dedicated she is to accomplishing her goal. Indeed, Ismene's refusal and her attempt to talk Antigone out of the burial only strengthen's Antigone's resolve:
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