In Antigone, by Sophocles, which focuses on themes such as courage in the face of death, civil unrest and unwavering dedication to divine justice, it is easy to understand why the character of Ismene is often called cowardly, docile and indecisive. However, this view of her undermines the most fundamental aspect of her personality, the one that is absent in Antigone: the will to live. With this in mind, Ismene's personality is decidedly one-dimensional, as there are certain traits she had to embody in order to survive. He endured his tragic upbringing through rational thought and optimism that others would do the same, keeping his love for his unfortunate family intact. Although she is not fearless in the face of death, Ismene is a sympathetic character whose rationality, optimism, and loyalty are not to be underestimated. Since so many people consider Ismene, when Antigone goes to her sister for help in burying her brother's body, Ismene refuses. While this can be seen as an example of her cowardly and docile nature, as the line "You should understand that we are only women" (61) is often interpreted, it shows that Ismene was aware of where she stood in Theban society. . It is well known that ancient Greece was a patriarchy, where women held little to no political power. Even beyond the fact that she and Antigone are women living in a male-dominated society, Ismene recognizes how low their family has fallen, she and Antigone being the children of a murderer and his wife. A reasonable person in Ismene's situation would most likely have acted similarly, as it would have been too great a risk to challenge Creon. Ismene was simply aware that no one would come to the aid of Oedipus' daughters when faced with “the edict of death””