If "pathetic" was meant to describe someone who arouses
pity and a sense of sadness, I think that Ismene represents this. I find it difficult
to come down with intense criticism of Ismene because she is in a tragic predicament, if
there ever was one. She is placed in between two equally desirable, but ultimately
incompatible courses of action. On one hand, she has the Greek conception of woman.
This conception is fairly direct in its assertion that women have little concern in the
realm of politics and social policy. Their condition is one where they must respect the
laws and abide by the social and political condition in which they live. If Ismene
rejects this, she is cast out of Greek society, branded an outsider and treated as a
pariah. This is the best case scenario for her.
On the
other hand, there is loyalty for her sister. Nowhere in the play does she reject
Antigone. She even volunteers to take the punishment for her. She remains loyal to
Antigone, who pretty much severs connection to her when Ismene reflects to her that she
is incapable of being able to fully embrace her plan. She has endured a great deal with
her family. Tracing back to Oedipus, her brother/ father, and the suicide of her
mother/ grandmother, as well as the death of her brother, and the refusal to honor him
as per her uncle, Ismene has endured her share of familial pain and suffering. For
Antigone to cut her off in such a brutal and swift manner is yet another familial
relationship that has not provided emotional comfort for her. Ismene recognizes that
her refusal to help Antigone will result in another severed
bond.
How does one not feel pity for Ismene? The drama
centers around Antigone, who ends up receiving some amount of redemption and absolution
in Creon's admittance of error and the suffering that falls upon him. Yet, Ismene is
discarded in terms of receiving any sort of resolution or hope for the future. She is
left in a horrifically pathetic state at the end of drama, sister gone, and no familial
connections of which to speak. She is not in a position of economic, social, or
political power. She is literally silenced. I would entirely concede that she does not
embody the bravery of Antigone. Yet, few do. In all honesty, one of the strongest
elements that Sophocles displays is the stubbornness and difficulty that Antigone
displays and causes to others. While she does stand for what is right, its cost is
significant. For the freedom fighter, this is acceptable. Yet, for every freedom
fighter are those who must remain behind and have to "clean up the mess" of idealism.
They do not do so for praise and for glory. They do so out of love. Ismene is one of
these individuals and for this, some level of pity is evoked, making her a pathetic
character.
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