Antigone: The First Feminist? How old is feminism, and who was the first feminist? Although no one can say for sure the exact date on which the feminist movement started, most of it is attributed to the past two centuries. However, women who are feminists have been around much longer. In Sophocles’s Antigone, the main character (Antigone) acts as a protofeminist by defying the authority of a patriarchal society and taking action according to …showed first 75 words of 550 total…

…showed last 75 words of 550 total…demonstrates feminism in several ways. She initially challenges a powerful male establishment by directly disobeying King Creon, the head of a strict patriarchy. She demonstrates a strong will and defiance for the laws of man. Her search for popularity also shows her feminist mentality. All of these characteristics combine to make Antigone appear to be a feminist by modern standards, even in a time much older than the feminist movement of the past two centuries.