Antigone by Jean Anouilh (Book Analysis) by Bright Summaries

Author:Bright Summaries
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

Ismene

In the prologue, Anouilh describes her as:

Physically, “blond”, “beautiful”, “happy” and “sensual”;

Morally, she “chats and laughs”, “has a “taste for dance and games” and a “taste for happiness and success”.

What is surprising in the prologue is that Ismene is the only character not to be presented individually. She is only mentioned in relation to Antigone and Haemon.

Thus, Ismene is a character who is defined by comparison, either through her affinities with Haemon, or in contrast to Antigone. In fact, everything is different about the two sisters, physically and morally. The reflection and prudence of the older sister clash with the passion and prudent audacity of the younger sister. The phrase “I somewhat understand our uncle” said by Ismene, is followed by “I do not want to understand somewhat” said by Antigone. When Ismene says “Listen to me, I’m right more often than you”, Antigone responds by saying “I do not want to be right”, which shows her determination and stubbornness.

The two female characters of the play are, therefore, completely different. Ismene is a beautiful, sensual young woman looking for simple and material happiness, with a “taste for dance and games […] happiness and success”. This type of happiness is specifically rejected by Antigone, with all her boyish determination.

The excerpt that is most revealing of Ismene’s personality appears in her dialogue with Antigone. From the beginning of the conversation, Ismene reports twice that she has “thought it through well” before saying three times that she “thinks”. This emphasis indicates that Ismene acts based on reason, unlike Antigone who is guided by her passion, but it may also indicate a lack of confidence since Ismene finds it necessary to state five times her “thinking” and to support this three times using the adverb “well”. Then, Ismene shows perfect mastery of dialectic by alternating logical and psychological arguments. Wanting to convince her sister of the absurdity of her gesture, she first tries to reason with her, then, when this has no effect, she changes her strategy by trying to speak to her heart. The construction of her speech is proof that she is a thoughtful person. We can also observe that Antigone never tries to disprove her sister’s arguments, she only responds using negative sentences and thus refuses to enter into a real discussion.

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