Judith Butler, Antigone’s Claim

See also Sophocles, Antigone

1. What, or who, makes the figure of Antigone ambiguous and unintelligible according to Butler?
2. Examine the relationship between language and power in Antigone and/or Antigone’s Claim.
3. What is the relationship between kinship ties and the state in Antigone’s Claim?
4. “So condemned, I will find a new place, / not a home, a spinster’s residence, with them, / with Polyneices—doomed young by alliance…” (p. 55). With reference to Antigone’s Claim, discuss the relationship between Antigone and Polyneices.
5. Why does Butler say that Antigone is not human? What implications might this statement have for understanding what it means to be human?
6. Explore the role of the title character in Antigone’s Claim.