Antigone: The First Feminist?

Antigone: The First Feminist? How old is feminism, and who was the first feminist? Although no one can say for sure the exact date on which the feminist movement started, most of it is attributed to the past two centuries. However, women who are feminists have been around much longer. In Sophocles’s Antigone, the main character (Antigone) acts as a protofeminist by defying the authority of a patriarchal society and taking action according to …

…the head of a strict patriarchy. She demonstrates a strong will and defiance for the laws of man. Her search for popularity also shows her feminist mentality. All of these characteristics combine to make Antigone appear to be a feminist by modern standards, even in a time much older than the feminist movement of the past two centuries. Works Cited Sophocles. “Antigone.” Literature and the Writing Process 5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 1999. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**