WHY A GREEK FICTIONAL CHARACTER “ANTIGONE” IS HEGEL’S PARTICULAR EXAMPLE OF WOMANHOOD?

Abstract

Antigone, a Greek fictional character appears in the writings of Hegel as a genuine example of womanhood instead of a factual woman. Focusing on this theme, this article exhibits that the attributes/ role of Antigone qualify(ies) her to take priority over factual women, whenever Hegel mentions women in a particular sense. Her name is brought up in Hegel’s works on politics, phenomenology, and poetry highlighting the experience of her struggle, self-identity, and tragedy, therefore, the structure of the article follows correspondingly, locating her in the various sections of these works: Antigone is attributed as the symbol of “family piety” in politics, as a “sister” in phenomenology and as she honors the attributes of “family piety” and “sister-brother relation”, the “tragic resolution” of her role is staged as suicide/ fate in poetry. After exhibiting Antigone’s character in Hegel’s works, this article concludes its significance by addressing the question: Why a Greek fictional character instead of a factual woman is Hegel’s particular example of womanhood?