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One of the most devastating problems for the Classical Greeks was thewomen's issue. Women in Classical Greece were not citizens, held noproperty, and indeed were not even allowed out of the house exceptunder guard. Their status differed from that of the slaves of Greeceonly in name. This alone, however was not a problem -- the problem wasthat the Greeks knew, in their hearts, that this was wrong. Indeed,their playwrights harangued them about it from the stage of Athenscontinually. All of the great Grecian playwrights -- Sophocles,Euripedes, Aristophenes -- dealt with the women's issue. All of themargued, in their various ways, that the women of Greece were not nearlyas incapable and weak as the culture believed them to be. All of themcreated female characters of strength and intelligence. But in"Antigone," the discussion reached its peak. Antigone herself, as shestands upon the Grecian stage, represents the highest ideals of humanlife -- courage and resp! ect for the gods. A woman, she isnevertheless the exemplum for her society. But how are we to knowthis? Does the author let the audience know that it is Antigoneherself, not Creon, the "noble-eyed imperator" (453), who is to bebelieved? It is almost inconceivable that the audienc