Let Them Rot

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A provocative journey into Sophocles' Antigone explores its enduring significance in Western thought and culture. This classical text has inspired extensive interpretation and creative response, prompting the question: What is it about Antigone that continues to resonate? The author examines three key "obsessions" that drive this inquiry. First, the theme of violence is addressed—not the graphic violence familiar in media, but a sharper, more piercing form that encompasses the violence of language, principles, desire, and subjectivity. Second, the author delves into funerary rites and their role in confronting the persistent "undeadness" that underlies human existence, suggesting a complex relationship between language, sexuality, death, and the notion of "second death." The third focal point is Antigone's claim that she would allow her own family to rot unburied, emphasizing her commitment to the "unwritten law" she follows for Polyneices. This raises questions about the exclusivity of her actions and how they relate to her universal appeal. The narrative compels readers to confront deeper issues, including the nature of incest and the broader human condition. Alenka Zupančič's insightful exploration of these philosophical and psychoanalytic themes invites a wide readership to engage with the timeless relevance of this classic work.