Author Shannon Alder once said, “Often, those who criticize others reveal what they are missing. » Essentially, what Alder is saying is that the things we blame others for are actually things we don't have and therefore don't want. In their works, Salome and Antigone, authors Oscar Wilde and Sophocles respectively, use this theory to show how women exercise their power over men. The two female protagonists of their stories are criticized for their masculine characteristics – intense desire, strength and independent thinking, among others. It is these criticisms that lead men to unknowingly cede their power to women, because women embodying certain masculine characteristics threaten the power of their male adversaries. However, by attacking their male rivals with the same qualities that men use to attack others, these women become victims of the same fatal flaws that their opponents fall victim to, leading to their demise. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay In both stories, Antigone and Salome both gain power by displaying traditionally masculine characteristics and exert this power over men threatened by the breakup of women. binary gender. Antigone has the power of free thought, which is not traditionally a feminine characteristic. In a time where women are expected to be submissive to men and base their behavior and decisions on what a man tells them, Antigone challenges the gender binary and therefore gains power through her ability to think independently. When Antigone talks to her sister Ismene about burying her brother even if it means disobeying the law, she responds, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way” (Sophocles, 191). The simplicity of her language as well as her blatant tone are very unusual for a stereotypical woman of that era. She speaks with such conviction and confidence, which is much more typical of a man. This proclamation from Antigone shows that from the second page of the play, she challenges gender norms and intends to be as powerful if not more powerful than the king himself. Antigone certainly presents traditionally masculine characteristics, but it is the consequence of her behavior that is most remarkable. By challenging gender stereotypes and questioning the stability of Creon's empire as well as his authority, she is able to exert power over him and even take it away from him. This is seen when Antigone exercises her power over Creon by demoting him to less than a man due to his questionable morals: "And yet, as the hearts of men know, I have done nothing/wrong" (226). As explained in my previous essay on Antigone, the juxtaposition between "men" who would know that she has not sinned, and Creon, who believes he has sinned, shows Antigone's defiance of Creon's power. Much of his power comes from his belief that he is a man and therefore inherently superior to women, but Antigone invalidating his claim to manhood gives him power and takes away his own. Likewise, Salome behaves in a certain traditionally masculine way. In romantic situations, women are supposed to be gentle and affectionate, while men are supposed to be voracious and act on their desires. Salome embodies the masculine characteristic of powerful lust in her interactions with the prophet Iokanaan. She said to him: “I am in love withyour body, Iokanaan… I will kiss your mouth, Iokanaan. I will kiss your mouth” (Oscar Wilde, 16-17). The assertive, erotic tone of this quote reveals Salomé's expression of traditionally masculine stereotypes regarding lust and eroticism. This inappropriate and impulsive exclamation from Salome to the prophet shows her defying gender norms and taking power away from Iokanaan by figuratively undressing him and stripping him of his dignity, as men might stereotype women. As in Antigone, it is the implications of Salome's masculine behavior that are most important. King Herod is used to getting what he wants as a king, and what he wants is Salome. However, by being immodest and sensual rather than docile, she takes power away from Herod and does not allow him to get what he desires. She takes away a key element of his virility by taking him for herself. When Herod orders Salome to drink wine with him, eat fruit with him, and sit with him, she consistently responds, “I am not thirsty, Tetrarch…. I'm not hungry, Tetrarch…. I am not tired, Tetrarch…” (Wilde, 22-23). Her steadfast disobedience to Herod's request to spend time with him hints at his rejection of his desire for her and the power she is able to exert over him by embodying a traditionally masculine characteristic and using it against him. Overall, both Salome and Antigone are capable of using masculine characteristics against the men in their lives, but they are different in the characteristics they embody and the specific threat they pose to male authority. Both Antigone and Salome are hypocrites, as they embody the very masculine characteristics that they fight and criticize, which ultimately causes them to lose power. Antigone aims to challenge Creon's power and not let him control her simply because he is a man and she is a woman. However, by speaking out against the state and politics, she embodies the very language of the state against which she rebels, as my partner, Johnny Armenta, pointed out to me. When asked if she will confess to the crime, she replies: “I deny nothing” (Sophocles, 208). By neither denying her crime nor explicitly admitting it, she applies traditional laws, such as not incriminating herself. Johnny pointed out that by using the rhetoric of the written law of the state, Antigone is challenging Creon using his rules of the game and his playbook, and in doing so she is being hypocritical. While fighting Creon, she literally uses the same diction and style of speech as he would when ruling Thebes. Similar to Antigone, Salome also displays hypocrisy. Salome becomes angry when Iokanaan does not desire her, but does not want to be desired by Herod. Salome looks at Iokanaan, but becomes angry when Herod looks at her. In this sense, she adopts the same body language as Herod and is hypocritical to objectify Iokanaan as Herod objectifies him. As demonstrated in the previous paragraph, Salome rejects all of Herod's invitations to spend time with him, which shows her disapproval and dislike of Herod's desire for her. However, she is a hypocrite because she does to Iokanaan exactly what Herod does to him. At the end of the play, Salomé complains: “You don’t want me, Iokanaan. Although I rejected myself” (Wilde, 43 years old). Her dark tone shows Salome's dissatisfaction with her relationship with Iokanaan because he did not want her the way she wanted him. However, this is ironic because she refused to satisfy Herod in the same way that Iokanaan refused to satisfy her. Overall, both Salome and Antigone are hypocritical in the way they embody language – that it,.