Antigone Quote by Laura Mullen
“Miss Havisham is an important feminine literary figure in the tradition of Antigone (though it's significant that Antigone is fighting to bury something and Miss Havisham refuses, as it were, to bury the corpse). Like Hamlet, she's focused on what everyone would rather not know or would like to forget, and she seems crazy / stuck as well as bitter, but she's also a perfect prototype of a performance artist. She's intentionally hard to deal with inviting the audience to remain with the violated body, the evidence of violence.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, 1861
Miss Havisham embodies the tragic performance of grief, refusing to move on and turning her pain into a public spectacle.
In simple terms: She is a tragic figure stuck in grief, acting out her pain.
Key Takeaway
Recognize when grief becomes a performance that harms self and others.
Themes
grief
performance
female agency
trauma
memory
Mood
somber
reflective
critical
Type
literary
psychological
feminist
When to use this quote
- theatrical productions
- psychotherapy
- literary analysis
- gender studies
Key Concepts
Victorian literature
psychology
feminist critique
Questions to Reflect On
- How does turning personal trauma into performance affect healing?
- When does mourning become a barrier to growth?
A Different Perspective
Her refusal to bury the past can perpetuate suffering for herself and others.
