Playing with Shadows in Heidegger’s Reading of Greek Tragedy

doi:10.1017/9781009071789.010

7 - Playing with Shadows in Heidegger’s Reading of Greek Tragedy

Encountering Oedipus, Antigone, and (Absent) Medea

from II - Heidegger and Greek Literature

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 November 2023

Silvia Benso

Edited by

Andrew Benjamin

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Andrew Benjamin: Affiliation:
Monash University, Victoria

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Summary

After a brief overview of Heidegger’s motivations and interest in engaging Greek tragedy understood as a downgoing in the realm of shadows, this chapter addresses three shadow figures that mark Greek tragedy as an experience of the uncanny – Oedipus, Antigone, and Medea. Whereas Heidegger addresses the first two figures at length, there is no mention of Medea in his works. By focusing on the notion of passion for being (originally advanced by Heidegger’s reading of Oedipus), this chapter explores relations of homeliness and unhomeliness, internal and external enmity, family and polis, citizen and foreigner/stranger, love and resistance, trust and betrayal of trust in Heidegger’s reading of tragedy. Ultimately, the chapter points to Medea’s (absent) character as a needed figure to maintain Heidegger’s relation to tragedy open to the possibility of a politically and existentially non-totalizing way of thinking aligned with Heidegger’s initial ambitions when returning to Greek tragedy as a theme for philosophy.

Keywords

Heidegger Greek tragedy Medea enmity stranger/foreigner trust

Type: Chapter
Information: Heidegger and Literary Studies , pp. 150 - 182

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009071789.010 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2023

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7 - Playing with Shadows in Heidegger’s Reading of Greek Tragedy

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