Ethics of Psychoanalysis - Lacan’s Antigone and the Ethics of Interpretation
My paper examines Lacan’s reading of the Antigone as an allegory of our own textual and ethical obligations as readers and critics. This paper addresses both the ethics and the aesthetics of our encounter with the text.
In 1959, Lacan presented Sophocles’ Antigone as a model of pure desire for his seminar on The Ethics of Psychoanalysis:
Antigone presents herself as autonomos, the pure and simple relationship of a human being to that which it miraculously finds itself carrying, that is the rupture of signification, that which grants a person the insuperable power of being—in spite of and against everything—what he [sic] is. . . . Antigone all but fulfills what can be called pure desire, the pure and simple desire of death as such [i.e., of that which is beyond the pleasure principle]. She incarnates this desire. (1986: 328-29)
Lacan notes that Antigone’s decision to defy Creon consciously seeks death. She makes no effort to defend Polynices’ actions (Lacan 1986: 290, 323-25). Her choice takes her beyond the realm of rational discourse and the collective norms of human satisfaction it implies (Lacan 1986: 78, 281; Zizek 1991: 25). Hers is a position that transcends the comfortable binary oppositions that structure our daily ethical and social lives. Because her choice of death cannot be understood according to strictly rational norms, she cannot be read as representing some simple antithesis of freedom to tyranny, or the individual to the state (Lacan 1986: 281; Zizek 1992: 77-78). In fact, as she acknowledges, she had chosen death before Creon’s decree against the burial of Polynices, and she defines herself to Ismene as one already belonging to the realm of the dead (ll. 559-60; Lacan 1986: 315, 326). Creon is not a tyrant who forces Antigone to make an impossible choice between life and freedom; rather, he embodies the civic norms that her pursuit of a desire beyond the bounds of those desires articulated within the realm of common life both requires as defining foil, and transcends. Her choice thus represents a pure ethical act shaped neither by a self-interested selection among communally recognized goods nor the self-loathing of conforming to a code that is recognized and despised (Zizek 1992: 77).
Such an ethical choice, as Lacan acknowledges, is Kantian in its devotion to a pure concept of duty, but psychoanalytic in its predication on a highly individualized desire whose content cannot be generalized into a universal ethical maxim (Lacan 1986: 68, 365-66).
Seigal, L. J., & Worrall, J. L. (2012). Introduction to criminal justice (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
This novel gives insight on the social issues that African Americans in the south underwent during this time period. This document is important in American history because it allows for historians to understand the two mentalities of black activist during this time period. It also conveys to historians how African American’s attempted to reach equality. Although W.E.B DuBois and Booker T Washington both has their differences in attaining equality, they both wanted African Americans to live better lives in this “new south” era, but had complete different
It is generally held that the tragic essence of Antigone lies in the state’s brutal suppression of individual emotions and humanity. However, it is not only individual emotions and humanity, but also family honor and responsibilities that Antigone tries to defend and fulfill. So it is not completely true that what Antigone stands for is timeless and universal justice. The tragic conflict of the play consists in the extremist attitude Creon and Antigone hold towards the state law and the family honor. The fundamentalist ideas of the state ...
As the tragedy concludes, the chorus issues its final words: "Pray for no more at all. For what is destined for us, men mortal, there is no escape," demonstrating how justice remains impartial to the prejudice of men; those who make imprudent judgments will ultimately suffer from the consequences of their actions. In Sophocles' Antigone, these prejudices notably surface in the form of paternalism as demonstrated through Creon's government, highlighting the importance of gender roles throughout the play. Therefore, analyzing the motif of gender roles and its effect on the definition of justice through the perspectives of Ismene, Antigone, and Creon enables the audience to understand how Sophocles' macroscopic analogy to humanity's prejudiced judgments as well (and ambiguity of justice)
In 2004, “The Effect of Three- Strikes Legislation on Serious Crime in California” study showed the lack-lustering effect of the Three-Strikes Law. The study displayed that the Three- Strikes Law didn’t have a positive impact on reducing crime. Instead, the policy just increased the incarceration
Sophocles. “Antigone.” Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirzner and Stephen R. Mandell. 8th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2013. 1802-1833. Print.
The great W.E.B. DuBois (William Edward Burghardt DuBois) had an essential role that played with the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). DuBois traveled around the world to educate African-Americans and tell them, use this knowledge to fight back. He accomplished more than what people could do in that time period; he was a historian, sociologist, author, and an editor. W.E.B. DuBois was a proud African-American who disliked discrimination; loved his education, loved his family, and the changes he made for the NAACP.
In Antigone, death is a central theme that is consistently present throughout the entire play. In this particular passage, the chorus proclaims that man’s access to resources will allow him to continue to exist; however, as long as man exists, so will death – a fate that no amount of resources can help anyone escape. In this essay, I will explore the correlation and significance of this passage, and more specifically, the correlation and relation to death, with particular characters of the play. These particular characters each have a different relation and perspective of death, however, as the story progresses, I will discuss why their relation, perspective and the way that which they acknowledge death itself evolves and changes so drastically.
B., Du Bois W. E. The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1979. University of Virginia Library. 4 Oct. 2008. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. 37.
Sophocles’ “Antigone” was a Greek tragedy written for entertainment, but it also served as a social commentary for what was happening in ancient Greek city-states during that time it was written. “Antigone” was a prime example of art imitating life in Greek culture. The play was rife with themes relating to individual versus state, women’s roles in the city-state, the significance of elders in society, pride, tyranny, and human law versus moral or divine law. In this essay I’d like to pose and answer the questions: Did the outcome of Antigone lead us to believe that Creon was wrong from the start? Was Creon blasphemous in making the decree denying Polynices the holy rite of burial? Did Creon deserve all the consequences that happed as a result of his decree?
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Sophocles' Antigone, in its later phases is no longer about the conflict of law; It is about stubbornness and self will, about the sin of refusing to listen; about a man who has never been told.
Antigone has a greater respect for those not living or supernatural than she does for man’s earthly rule. She recognizes that death is eternal, but life is temporary. This relates to parables and
Cloud computing facilitates sharing of computing and storage resources with the aim of reducing computing expenses in organizations. Moreover, cloud computing facilitates information sharing among individuals within a cloud. Despite being advantageous, data stored in a cloud is usually prone to hacking and other security issues. This paper addresses the various mitigation measures that organizations are using to ensure that data stored in the cloud is secure.