Ismene best represents the archetype of the coward. In the excerpt, she expresses a sense of helplessness and submission to the laws of the state, indicating her reluctance to take a stand against Creon's decree. Her insistence on maintaining obedience and her belief that they lack the strength to defy authority illustrate her fearful and non-resistive nature in contrast to Antigone's more rebellious spirit.
Read the excerpt from "The Royal House of Thebes."
Antigone and Ismene heard with horror what Creon had decided. To Ismene, shocking as it was, overwhelming her with anguish for the pitiful dead body and the lonely, homeless soul, it seemed, nevertheless, that nothing could be done except to acquiesce [to accept without protest]. She and Antigone were utterly alone. All Thebes was exulting that the man who had brought war upon them should be thus terribly punished. "We are women," she told her sister. "We must obey. We have no strength to defy the State."
Which archetype does Ismene best represent?
the villain
the heroine
the warrior
the coward
1 answer