Question

Why does Creon feel threatened by Antigone. Does this have anything to do with her womanhood

Answer 1

Answer:

Because she disobeyed him and because she is the woman who did that

Explanation:

Before the beginning of the play Antigone's brothers,  Eteocles and Polynices, died fighting each other for the throne. Creon, the new king of Thebes, orders that Polynices' body mustn't be buried. Despite these orders and the protests from her sister, Antigone wants to honor her brother with the proper burial rites.

This boldness and policy violations are the reason why Creon felt threatened. He does not like that Antigone dared to disobey his rules, ignore his power and belittle him in the eyes of his followers. With this, he proves that he is vain, self-assured and not able to hear what his people want, probably because of the fear of losing the power and the throne.  He did not want to let Antigone go without the punishment even when his son, Haemon (that is ought to be married to Antigone), pleaded to spare her life. Creon criticizes his son of being on the woman’s side.

This is the reason why, yes, the threat Creon feels coming from Antigone has to do with her womanhood. Women had no right to possess any economic or social power in ancient Greek society and their roles were strictly bound to the house, family, and men. When Antigone openly defies Creon's orders, she is defying him as the man while also going against what is seen as the norm of society. Creon clearly says that he "won’t be called weaker than womankind”, and it is in this line that he openly admits his fear of being seen not only as ruler unable to make his people obey but also as the man who can't control the woman. Because of this, he fears the danger of being weaker than the womankind. Being weaker than the woman could be seen as shameful and the ultimate sign of the instability with the Greek society in which the story takes place.