Comparison between the characters of Antigone and A Doll's HouseThere have always been fundamental differences between the mentality of the male and female sex. Once upon a time, women were considered a possession of their father or husband. Women were denied participation in public life, had limited access to education, and were not legally allowed to own property. This oppression of women has not stopped them from fighting and obtaining equal rights. It seems that women followed the laws created by men as long as they did not conflict with what they believed. When there was a conflict between the laws of men and the beliefs of women, then the laws of men were ignored. This is clearly illustrated in the two plays, Antigone and A Doll's House. In the drama, "Antigone", the story revolves around a young, strong-willed and rebellious woman, Antigone. She disobeys the order imposed by a male, the king of Thebes, which stated that Polyneices was to be left, without burial and without mourning, and anyone who broke this decree would suffer death as punishment. He reacted selflessly, opposing everything that represented power in his world, so that his brother achieved peace and harmony in his afterlife. She justifies her actions by stating that she was required to abide by the eternal laws of right and wrong despite any human laws. It is his belief that Creon's law is inferior to that of the Gods. Therefore, breaking the law, he felt it was his obligation to bury his own flesh and blood and perform the necessary ceremonial burial rituals. She was fulfilling the doctrine that her God Zeus had instilled in her. When Antigone was faced with her "crime", she denied nothing. Consequently she is... at the center of the card... of Youth/A Doll's House/The Lady of the Sea. Trans. Peter Watts. England: Clays Ltd., 1965.Jaeger, Werner. "Sophocles' mastery of character development." In Readings on Sophocles, edited by Don Nardo. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1997.Salomé, Lou. Ibsen's heroines. Ed. and trans. Siegfried Mandel. Redding Ridge: Black Swan, 1985. Templeton, Joan. “The Dollhouse Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen.” PMLA (January 1989): 28-40. A student may want to begin their paper with the following quotes to create a stronger opening: Women observe the law to the extent that there is no conflict with what they believe, while men view it as an absolute. «There are two kinds of spiritual laws, two kinds of conscience, one in man and another completely different one in woman. They don't understand each other." (Preface to "Four Major Comedies").