You may have included some of these examples of Ismene’s reluctance to transgress the law:
In the opening scene, Ismene tries to dissuade Antigone from defying Creon’s orders by burying Polyneices; she believes they are “weak women” who cannot contend with men by going against a “monarch’s will.”
Ismene feels that she and her sister “must obey” Creon’s orders or face “worse” consequences, and she begs her dead brothers to “pardon” her.
Ismene, “perforce,” decides to “obey” the earthly legal powers and believes it would be “foolishness” to “overstep” her limitations by going against the king’s civil laws. She says she doesn’t have any skills when it comes to scorning the state or breaking its “ordinance.”
You may have included some of these examples of Ismene’s emphasis on silence:
After her pleas fail to convince Antigone to forgo giving Polyneices a proper burial, Ismene entreats her sister to keep the matter “close and secret” and not to let any man know of her “intent.”
Ismene’s final appearance in the play is interesting to note. She doesn’t appear in the play after Creon sentences her and Antigone to death. While Antigone asks her to escape and choose life, Sophocles doesn’t provide any closure with regard to Ismene at the end of the play. One reason for this decision may be that she’s a foil to Antigone, so whatever happens to her is not as significant compared to what happens to Antigone. Another possibility is that Ismene escaped and lived out the rest of her days in silence and solitude, since she has always placed an emphasis on silence.
You may have included some of these examples of Ismene’s unwillingness to abandon Antigone:
When Creon’s guards capture Antigone and bring her before him, Ismene refuses to let her sister take all the blame. Ismene claims that she also “did the deed” of burying Polyneices and wants to “share the guilt with her sister.”
When Antigone protests, Ismene asks her not to “scorn” her but to allow her to share Antigone’s “work of piety.” Ismene wants to die with Antigone because she believes that life would never “profit” her if she were “bereft” of Antigone.
Ismene also tries to convince Creon not to “slay” his “own son’s plighted bride.” Unfortunately, her attempt at persuading Creon to spare Antigone’s life fails.
