Feminism in Antigone and Othello Feminism has been one of the most important forces in shaping our modern society. Thanks to the women's rights movement, women today enjoy rights and freedoms that are unprecedented in the history of Western civilization. However, this was not always the case. While modern literature containing feminist messages is hardly rethought, readers of our time are intrigued and impressed by feminist works from a decidedly male-dominated past. Two of the greatest works of Western literature, Antigone and Othello, written by the two great playwrights Sophocles and Shakespeare, are said to illustrate feminist ideals in the "distant" past. Antigone, which embodies these ideals throughout and is primarily concerned with the inequality of gender roles, is such a work. Othello, although containing occasional feminist sentiments, still keeps its women in conventional female roles and is therefore not a feminist play. To determine whether these works are feminist, we first need a working definition of the term. This alone is quite complicated, because the word itself is commonly used and abused in many different ways. In its simplest form, feminist doctrine states that women and men are equal and deserve the same rights and privileges. This, although widely accepted in our time, was not so in the past. However, feminism has also been seen as the belief that men are the inferior sex, a belief that might more accurately be termed "anti-masculinism". This belief has never been widely shared in Western society, and probably never will be. It can also be said that "feminism" is any belief or idea intended to improve the well-being and social position of women: for example... middle of paper... and it doesn't, and this is clearly seen in the play. We are moved to sympathize with Antigone and see that she finds a way to be powerful that doesn't fit into the classic male-driven power structure. He is also powerful in the structure of the play: he is the most well-developed character and the play takes its title from his name. Finally, Sophocles shows us that feminism works, at least in Antigone's case: she gets what she wants. Unfortunately, this is death, but her attempts to gain power still get her what she wants. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Othello. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat, Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1993. Sophocles. Antigone. The Theban games. Ed. and trans. E. F. Watling. London: Penguin Group, 1947: 126-162. Watling, E.F. "Introduction." The Theban games. London: Penguin Group, 1947: 7-22.