Subaltern Transgressors and Moral Superiority: Comparative Analysis of Antigone and Anarkali

Abstract

Ascribing moral superiority to the protagonists of
Antigone by Sophocles and Anarkali by Imtiaz Ali Taj, this article
explores the inter-connectivity between the two characters apparently
separated by their era, culture, geography and literary tradition.
Focussing on the subaltern, it aims at deconstructing the social morality
by raising the feminine issue to universal acclaim where the female
transgressors are more of Dionysian goddesses—embodiment of the
vigour of nature. Qualitative methodology has been applied by using the
theoretical framework of Feminism and Deconstruction. For textual
analysis, Antigone by Sophocles and Anarkali by Imtiaz Ali Taj have
been used as primary texts. Through in-depth studies of the two plays, it
aims at opening new vistas for the students of literature across culture,
along with giving an insight to the social law makers and practitioners.