“Remember that we are women, we were not born to compete with men” (Sophocles, 18). The popular literary works, Antigone and A Doll's House, written by Sophocles and Ibsen, are two famous tragedies that have been performed and read over the decades. Although countless viewers have been entertained by these well-written works, few would like to imagine that many lessons and many unfortunate truths can be found with a less than tedious inspection of the characters and the reactions they give to their circumstances. The two main characters in these stories, Antigone and Nora, face adversity and problems amplified by their society's views on women's rights and capabilities. The two main male characters in these plays, Creon and Elmero, are responsible for most of the struggles that the female protagonists face. The difficulties that Helmer and Creon create during the plot of these stories are the cause of three main characteristics of what would be considered typical of a stubborn man in a leadership position. The three characteristics of Creon and Elmero that lead to the final downfall of Antigone and Nora are pride, arrogance, and ignorance. The first fault of our male antagonists which ends with the disappearance of our female protagonists Antigone and Nora is the large amount of "hubris", or pride, that each character possesses. For example, at the beginning of Antigone, Creon issues a decree that his niece Antigone adamantly and willfully disobeys. Although throughout the play many wise and gifted men try to convince him that what he did may have been the will of the gods, Creon refuses to give in to their intuition simply on the grounds that he will not allow himself to be shamed by backin ...... middle of paper ......view of the circumstances presented, allowing ignorance to become the bane of one's well-being. In conclusion, the three traits, pride, arrogance and ignorance, all play an important role in the downfall of the main male characters, Creon and Helmer, as well as in the destruction of the lives of the two female protagonists Antigone and Nora in the plays Antigone and House of doll. Clearly these famous playwrights, Sophocles and Ibsen, had a solid understanding of popular male traits and their roles in society. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. A doll's house. World Literature: An Anthology of Great Stories, Poetry, and Drama. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw Hill Glencoe, 2004.140-202. Print.Sophocles. Antigone. World Literature: An Anthology of Great Stories, Poetry, and Drama. Columbus, Ohio: McGraw Hill Glencoe, 2004. 14-57. Press.