Antigone & Nora

Both Antigone and Nora break civil and conventional law. For Antigone, the law she breaks is burying her brother against the orders of King Creon. Creon believes this is a violation of established law. Antigone disregards the knowledge that she has of this and buried her brother, despite warnings from her sister Ismene. Their father Oedipus suffered greatly due to breaking the law, and Ismene tries to warn her sister of the consequences for breaking the law. However, Antigone is not worried about the potential consequences of doing so, because she believes that she ôshall suffer nothing as great as dying with a lack of grace,

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ns despite the seer Tiresias telling him it is his ôhigh resolveö that is responsible for the plague on Thebes, (Sophocles 1123). In NoraÆs case, Torvald has treated her in a similar manner to Creon, albeit over different circumstances. Torvald has continued to treat Nora as an empty-headed, trophy wife, much like a doll instead of a woman with her own emotions and opinions. In the Victorian era, a woman who would be permitted such potential would be emasculating to her husband. Thus, in a way, both Antigone and Nora are subjected to confining environments because of the male ego and an era during which patriarchy does not admit female expression unless it affirms male dominance and right. While Antigone will pay a heavy price for her refusal to submit to the male will, death, Nora will also pay a heavy price. She knows, as Antigone knows, that to stick to her opinions and feelings in opposition to male rule will force her to be alone, including the loss of her children. It is a heavy price to pay but Nora knows, like Antigone, that if she is unwilling to pay that price she will lose herself forever. As she tells Torvald, ôI have existed merely to perform tricks for you Torvald. But you would have it so. You and papa have
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Approximate Word count = 1339
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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