Read the stage directions below and answer the question that follows. Exit ANTIGONE away from the palace. ISMENE watches her go
and then returns slowly into the palace What do the stage directions reveal about the differences between the two characters? Both Antigone and Ismene are loyal to the government. Ismene is not loyal to the government, but her sister is. Unlike her sister, Antigone is not loyal to the government. Neither Antigone nor Ismene are loyal to the government.
The stage directions reveal that, unlike her sister (Ismene), Antigone is not loyal to the government. The stage directions are symbolic, because Antigone walks away from the palace, thus walking away from the government in defiance, while Ismene has doubts. Ismene wants to be loyal to her sister, but she can't defy the state so "returns slowly to the palace" and remains loyal to the government.
