Hegel on tragedy 
11 May 2012
3-5pm
Venue: Room 501 (Pat Hanan Room), Arts 2 (Building 207)
Host: Julian Young, Wake Forest University
Taking Antigone as his paradigm, Hegel views great tragedy as the articulation and resolution of ethical dilemmas. I look at the elements of this theory: 'ethical substance', the tragic conflict, the tragic flaw, and the tragic 'resolution'. And then I defend the theory against a number of criticisms: that in ignoring 'catharsis' the theory is excessively intellectual, that it ignores the central role of 'fate' in Greek tragedy, that in proposing a 'resolution' it misses the essence of the 'tragic vision', and that there must be something wrong with a theory that denies tragic greatness to Shakespeare.
