Custom requiring the elder daughter to marry before her younger sister

The custom requiring the elder daughter to marry before her younger sister shaped both Antigoni’s practical marriage and Ismini’s hopes of leaving home. It made birth order a rule governing when the younger woman could marry, regardless of Antigoni’s own wishes.

The Rule and Its Constraint

In Antigoni’s family, the younger Ismini could not marry before her elder sister. Ismini was already attracting suitors, but her desirability did not override the custom: Antigoni had to marry first. The rule turned Antigoni’s unmarried status into an obstacle to her sister’s future.

Antigoni’s Marriage and Its Consequences

Antigoni was nearly thirty when her father accepted a marriage proposal on her behalf. She was happy with her life in Piraeus, while Ismini longed to leave home and marry. Antigoni accepted the proposal more for Ismini’s sake than her own, understanding that she stood between her sister and the fulfilment she wanted. The custom therefore helps explain why Antigoni entered a marriage described as practical rather than passionate: her decision was bound up with her sister’s prospects, not simply her own desire for a husband.