A solidão egoísta de Antígona, ou A acção parcial. Problemas teológicos e políticos na Antígona de Sófocles

Abstract

Antigone has been too often seen either as a tale of resistence against tyranny by a righteous maiden or as a clash between two absolutes of equal value (family & state), following Hegel’s suggestion. This article intends to (1) debunk the first reading, showing that Antigone, by ignoring the city, offends the gods and hijacks her own purpose (to bury her brother), because of her (ultimately self-centered) moral headstrongness, and (2) importantly nuance the second one, arguing that polytheism offers a possible key to understand how, even when the forces at play do not match each other, tragedy might nevertheless arise.