Recently in Antigone Category

Throughout Antigone's Claim, Butler illustrates that Antigone does not represent kinship, or at least not the type of kinship that Hegel proposes Antigone represents.  On page 24, Butler states, "Antigone represents not kinship in its ideal form but its deformation and displacement, one that puts the reigning regimes of representation into crisis and raises the question of what the conditions of intelligibility could have been that would have made her life possible, indeed, what sustaining web of relations makes our lives possible, those of us who confound kinship in the rearticulation of its terms?"

In this post, I would like to investigate the implications of "alternative kinship arrangements" in Antigone's family as well as in current-day society. 

It seems apparent that the abnormal structure of Antigone's family was the root cause of their tragedy, though this is not conclusive.  Butler states, "some might conclude that the tragic fate [Antigone] suffers is the tragic fate of any and all who would transgress the lines of kinship that confer intelligibility on culture" (72).  As a sister (and brother, as Butler suggests) to Polyneices as well as a sister and daughter to Oedipus, Antigone disobeys Creon's law, which ultimately leads to her tragic death.

Yet, what other role do Antigone's family relationships play?  Butler questions whether Antigone's actions problematize heterosexuality in its normative sense.  Is there a normative heterosexual family structure?  Butler mentions that socialist feminists have made attempts to show that there is no ultimate basis for normative heterosexual monogamous family structure and that "utopian projects to revamp or eliminate family structure have become important components of the feminist and contemporary queer movements" (73).

If there is no normative heterosexual family structure, then what does this mean for gay marriage?  On page 69, Butler questions "and when there are two men or two women who parent, are we to assume that some primary division of gendered roles organizes their psychic places within the scene, so that the empirical contingency of two same-gendered parents is nevertheless straightened out by the presocial psychic place of the Mother and Father into which they enter?"  That is, are there always symbolic positions of Mother and Father?  Furthermore, what are the effects of two same-gendered parents on their children?  Opponents to same-sex marriage "argue that any children raised in a gay family would run the immanent threat of psychosis" (70).  Is there any truth to this argument, considering the outcome of Antigone's abnormal kinship arrangement?

I am inclined to agree with the notion that there is no normative family structure.  Yet, I also believe that kinship plays a great role in the development of individuals and the structure of society.  Does anyone else have thoughts regarding the effects of alternative family structures on individuals and/or society?  

    The story of Antigone, as interpreted by Irigaray, I find to be very flawed. Not only did I find her arguments lacking textual proof but also counter productive.

    In The Eternal Irony of the Community, Irigaray criticizes Hegel's dichotomous claims on femininity vs. masculinity, especially with regards to divine vs. human responsibilities. Summing-up his theory she claims, "Just as man must strive to make this negativeness into an ethical action by sacrificing his life for the city - in war for example - so woman must be that external and effective mediation that reconciles the dead man with himself by taking upon himself the operation of destruction that the becoming of mind cannot manage without (Irigaray, 215)." And then later elaborates that a main difference between men an women lies in the concept that, "... the brother has already been invested with a value for the sister that she cannot offer in return, except by devoting herself to his cult after death (Irigaray, 217)." She discredits the idea that woman and men must play these specific roles, or at least it seemed that way until she leaped into the story of Antigone.

    It is with Antigone that she went astray. In her attempt to disrupt the male paradigm, she jumped over who Antigone really is and simply created a reading that is befitting with a female paradigm. Her ultimate claim is that Antigone acted the way she did because of mother issues. Really? Mother issues? Antigone as a character is the epitome of a woman breaking all the rules of a phallocentric model of what is femininity. And yet, Irigaray brings it all back to the mother, essentially making Antigone even more feminine. Irigaray in her critique of Freud was effective in showing what sexual development might look like if viewed through the lens of a female-centric world, an alternative to the male-centric one provided by Freud. In the case of Antigone, however, I find this style to be ineffective. Firstly, there is little textual proof to back her claims and secondly, it is counter productive. Why is it better that Antigone acts as a result of her mother, rather than her father? The end result is still a rigid dichotomy of sexes. Antigone is the one person who can't be classified into just one category and she certainly can't be explained as re-acting to the choices and actions of others, especially not her mother or father. Below are some of the more ridiculous claims that Irigaray makes concerning Antigone:

"However guiltless, she feels she bears the burden of her mother's fatal marriage, feels guilty for being born of such terrible embraces (Irigaray, 218)." Firstly, this is a quantum leap she is making and one in which she provides not a single shred of evidence. To claim that she feels guilty for her mother's actions is completely unwarranted. This also implies that Antigone feels she is responsible to and should act in accordance with other people, that she is submissive. Her defiance of Kreon should prove otherwise. And while technically she feels a responsibility towards her brother, it is a familial responsibility one that would extend to any member of her family. Her actions regarding her brother are not out of submission to her brother but rather a realization of her own values and the fact that she had to act true to herself.

"Whatever her current arguments with the laws of the city may have been, another law is still drawing her along her path: identification with her mother (Irigaray, 219)." Again, Irigaray moves the central focus away from Polyneices, a man, to Antigone's mother, a woman. It is demeaning to Antigone to claim that her actions meant to honor a fallen family member and her refusal to subject herself to Kreon's unjust laws are all a result of her desire to be like her mother and to connect with her.

"Thus the sister will strangle herself in order to save at least the mother's son (Irigaray, 219)." Again, all that Irigaray has done is rewrite the story so that it is centered on Jocasta. She also claims that Antigone is mimicking her mother in her suicide. Rather, it is more likely and textually proven that she was avoiding a fate she wished not - a marriage to Haimon. It is a shame that Antigone should be read as acting in submission to anyone or that her actions are intended to mimic.


    This is Irigaray's fatal flaw in her reading of Antigone. In trying to discredit the phallocentric representational economy, she over zealously created the female version of one. In that respect, she is just the other extreme of Freud and therefore no better.

One of my favorite quotes is a quote by Thoreau, in which he states "It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right."  This type of mentality and belief in a greater justice beyond the law persists throughout Antigone.  Although our class has had a few discussions about Antigone's "glory-seeking" and her "self-pitying" last words, I personally see the entirety of her actions as a respectable form of civil disobedience. 

As seen in lines 69-77, Antigone states that she is willing to perform a "crime of piety" because it would avoid dishonoring the gods.  Because she believes that honoring Polyneices and the gods is most important, she disregards Kreon's proclamation.  For Antigone, disobeying the law is the most effective way to honor her brother--to do what is "right".

Antigone's dedication to her belief can be further seen in her confession to completing the action:  "I don't deny it; I admit the deed was mine." (line 443)

Not only does Antigone take a great risk in burying Polyneices, but she also displays a willingness to accept the punishment of death.  This is a key component to effective civil disobedience.  Furthermore, the actual suffering of Antigone, specifically through her realization that she will die unmarried, gives credibility to her action. 

"I go thus cursed, unmarried, to dwell without a home" (line 867) 

Personally, I don't view these words as complaints or self-pity.  Rather, Antigone's suffering is necessary to display her true commitment.  If death had no daunting effects whatsoever, anyone may be inclined to risk death for any sort of cause or belief.  This, of course, is not the case.  Antigone completed an act that she believed to be of greater importance than herself and was willing to endure the consequences, however unpleasant they may be.

 

Having recently participated in the largest act of civil disobedience on global warming in American history on Monday (check it out!), I have developed a newfound respect for Antigone as a character.  Whether or not to risk arrest to show my support for a cause was not an easy decision to make.  Yet, having made that decision, I became aware of the importance of participating in an extreme act as a means to demonstrate the seriousness of an issue.  Antigone did not attempt to reason with Kreon or try to convince him that his proclamation was wrong; rather, she immediately dove into a risky (nonviolent and direct) action to honor Polyneices.  And though I would not label Antigone as a hero, I do believe she is the best character in The Theban Plays. 

Throughout the story I viewed Antigone as a hero who cares nothing more than to bring honor to her brother Polynices and her family. By dying I assumed that she would bring honor to her family and may be viewed as a martyr and a tragic hero. Little did I know that as Antigone was about to die, she had a little fit in which she complained and drowned herself in self-pity. In class we have had mostly good things to say about Antigone, but now after reading her blunder in her final scene, it seems that Antigone is far from honorable. 

    Antigone, the Theban Play, tells the tragic story of the rulers of Thebes with Antigone vindicated as a true heroin. Antigone proves her heroism through her ability to look beyond the mortal realm and act selflessly in reverence to the Gods and a higher justice alone. She is willing to sacrifice everything to do what is right. In many regards she is similar to Athena and her actions show her attempts to be Athena-like. There was one snag in her plan that prevented her success, however. She lacked Zeus' thunderbolts, which was Athena's most important weapon. In other words, she lacked force to back her power.

    In Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone proves that she is level-headed and is acting in the best interests of the people of Thebes and of the Gods. For example, her persistent attempts to reconcile her brother and father starting at line 1181 is all for the hope of a prosperous and peaceful Thebes. "Abundant words, which give delight or show distress or stir up pity in some way, sometimes impart a voice to those whose voice was mute (line 1281-83)," is Antigone's way of trying to help her brother be more persuasive with their father. She clearly has a hand in creating the parameters of their discussion, or lack there of. And later when this proves futile she turns her attention towards her brother pleading, "I supplicate you, Polyneices, be persuaded (line 1414)." As was discussed in class, her failure to persuade first her father and then her brother was by no means a result of her use of inefficient rhetoric but her lack of force. She didn't have the upper hand in the situation and therefore failed in preventing the destruction she knew laid ahead. Polyneices had armed forces and weapons at his disposal to back his declarations. Without a force that trumped Polyneices' army, Antigone had no chance of convincing him to back down. If she possessed a legitimate force that she could command then it is impossible (for me to believe) that the story would have played out in the same way.

    This lack of force behind her words, however powerful they might be, is the critical difference between her and Athena. Both set out to protect the people of their cities, Thebes and Athens, and both intended to set precedents about Justice. Granted, the justice that Athena focused on was a more democratic approach as opposed to the older retributive ways and Antigone was trying to prove that the laws of the Gods and her vision of a higher justice trump any of mans' laws. Athena was successful in her attempts as seen in The Eumenides and Antigone failed. This is not to say that she wasn't completely unsuccessful, however. Antigone couldn't prevent the tragedies that occurred, like Athena prevented the destruction of Orestes, but she was able to make an example of it at least. As Antigone is lead away to the place that is to be her tomb, her final words are, "Look on me, oh rulers of Thebes, the last of your house who remains, see what I suffer, from what kind of men, for revering reverence (Antigone, line 939-43)." She speaks directly to the future rulers and warns them, which is part of her goal. She is successful in this regard.

    Her status as a mortal may seem like an obvious factor in her downfall but Antigone was able to circumvent even the most basic mortal quality - mortality. By consciously making the decision to give up her life in order to honor her brother's death she no longer lives in the mortal realm, per se. She becomes elevated above it because there is no punishment that could affect her anymore. She recognizes that her future in Hades will last far longer than her time on earth, which leads her to proclaim that, "I must please those down below a longer time than those up here, since I shall lie there always (Antigone, line 74-76)." Clearly, her focus is no longer on her time on earth which releases her from all of the bonds of mortality. By accepting her own death, an amazing feat on its own, she evaded what makes mortals inferior, which is their inability to live forever. In this manner, Antigone, a mortal by most standards, proved she was capable of encompassing God-like qualities and living forever, if only through the lesson she left behind.

    In my opinion, Antigone's greatest victory was her ability to evade the title of a tragic character. Yes, she was in effect unfairly murdered for mourning her brother and she did suffer from her inferior position as a woman, but she left this world because she decided to. From the moment she heard of her brother's death and Kreon's proclamation, she willingly succumbed to her inevitable death. In the end, Kreon became the tragic character because he made the pivotal mistake of insisting on adherence to his laws, made in conflict to all counsel, and his focus on the corruptive qualities of men, namely money. When the guards brought news to Kreon that Polyneices had been buried he accused them of taking bribes. Later, when the prophet foresaw his destruction and the fall of Thebes he accursed the prophet for being a "money-loving breed (Antigone line 1055)." Kreon eventually was persuaded to see the wrongness of his actions, but too late. By the end of the play, Kreon is the tragic character and Antigone a righteous, Goddess like figure.

    Antigone most certainly took lessons from Athena's play book and she was nearly successful. It is a shame that her lack of force is the reason she had to die along with so many others to rectify a mistake she could have prevented. But she is not Athena's failed apprentice but rather a star pupil constrained by external forces.

Something that I found very interesting in Antigone is the distinction between human law and divine law. In the play, Antigone ignores the laws that Kreon has enacted in order to fulfill the laws of the Gods (proper burial of Polyneices). In lines 450-457, Antigone attacks Kreon's authority and argues that:

"It was not Zeus who made this proclamation; nor was it Justice dwelling with the gods below who set in place such laws as these for humankind; nor did I think that your proclamations had such strength that, mortal as you are, you could outrun those laws that are the gods', unwritten and unshakable. Their laws are not for now or yesterday, but live forever; no one knows when first they came to light."

In essence Antigone (or Sophocles depending on how you look at it) is arguing that divine law will ultimately overpower human law in every situation.  Kreon, on the other hand, scoffs at Antigone's claim and remains convinced that since he is the king what he says goes.  We see this attitude continue for the most part until the deaths of Haimon and Eurydike when he finally sees that divine law triumphs human law.

When I read this, I could also not help but also think about the conversations we had in class regarding the prophecy about Oedipus in Oedipus the King.  Oedipus thought that he could in a sense outwit the gods and escape the prophecy but no matter how hard he tried, he still ended up killing his father and marrying his mother.  I can't help but think that perhaps Sophocles wrote these plays to show everyone that you can never escape the will of the gods.

In reading Antigone, I realized that she goes against everything that we as a class have read before. She is forceful and strong. It is interesting to me that Antigone refuses to conform to the stereotypes that Greek society places on her. This clearly doesn't run in the family because Antigone's sister Ismene personifies Greek woman stereotypes: