The Sublime in Lacanian Theory: Split Subjectivity and its Tragic Action

Abstract

This paper analyses the Lacanian sublime resulting from the encounter between the $(split subject) and the object a according to Lacans fantasy formula ($?a).While the sublime in tragedy has been interpreted by several philosophers throughout the ages, in Lacans view
the inevitable destiny that tragedy presents stems from the inner structure of the subject, which demonstrates the subjects split and incompleteness.Whether it is Antigone or Hamlet, they are often confronted with an ambivalent structure within the subject, which they try to find
relief from, but ultimately find it difficult to escape the impasse.The subject is unable to fully unify the contradiction between the unconscious
and the ego; it moves towards a split. This split subject is bound to fail when it encounters the object a, which is the Lacanian sublime. The
Lacanian sublime embodies a kind of impossibility, and the subject, facing it, suffers an "absolute failure". But precisely because of the sublime, the subjects failure is precisely what brings it into contact with new possibilities, with a real revolution.