Antigone is rising!
I am one of those outrageous readers who underlines sentences in books, dogears chapters and scribbles annotations in the margins. I rarely lend my books because I know the borrower will be shocked at my graffiti. One book that came in for particular blue Bic attention was Helen Morales’ Antigone Rising (2020). There are plenty of books on the shelves that reimagine, repackage and retell the classical myths of Greece and Rome. These luscious stories have never lost their magic and even in the 21stC, digital savvy kids are still drawn to the violence of the gods. Morales’ book is different. The myths in this book are retold by a mother of a daughter growing up in a #metoo world. A daughter whose friends also confront a world of #blacklivesmatter and are constantly judged by their clothes, their appearance and their status. From her place in the 21st C CE, Morales looks at the Greek and Roman myths to see what more we can unpack and learn from the ancient stories and then how we might be able to position our daughters to continue to confront and disrupt the patriarchy.
The opening chapter, Killing Amazons takes a long look at the history of misogyny and the brutal killing of the fabled warrior women, who Homer described as the “equals to men”. But Hercules kills the brave Amazon as part of his quest journey. So, not really equal. Hercules is not the only ‘hero’ to kill amazons while on great heroic quests. No. Many were killed to prove that men did in fact dominate and even the bravest of warrior women will fall to the patriarchy. Fast forward to the 21s C and the rise in violence against women perpetrated by so called Incel individuals or groups. Their rage against women is evident in their senseless violence as part of some disturbed attempt at returning to the ancient past where women were dominated and killed, just like the Amazons. Morales’ hope here is to call out patterns in behaviours that have existed for millennia so we stop dismissing shockingly violent acts against women as tragic and isolated.
Perhaps the most relevant chapter for those of us teaching young women in schools is titled, The Women Controllers. In ancient Greece the gynaikonomos were charged with ensuring that women remained orderly in terms of behaviour, participated in appropriate social events and acted with decorum. Thus, they controlled women. The ancient sources detail punishments for rule breakers which included a large measure of public and personal shaming. Fast forward to the 21st C and dozens of women will tell you about the unequal dress codes in workplaces, the overzealous policing of clothing in many countries, schools and institutions, the public and personal shaming for daring to break those rules. In her 1985 dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood showed us the Aunts in Gilead. Morales reminds us of Euripides’ The Bacchae, in part, a tale of what happens to men who try to control women. While the ending is bloody and violent, the message is certainly poignant and relevant.
As an ancient history teacher at an all-girls school, this book was a game changer. It provides direct links between the ancient myths and the very events, conflicts and social constructs that our daughters and sisters continue to disrupt and call out. It is a renewed rally cry to all women who seek to dismantle the status quo. And with the election of the first female of colour as Vice President of the United States of America, it is further evidence that Antigone is rising.
