Hécuba e a guardiã platônica

Abstract

This study proposes an analysis of Hecuba, by Euripides, and The Republic, by Plato, especially Book V, with the aim of investigating whether the tragic heroine fulfills the requirements stipulated by Plato for a Guardian. To this end, the study will first focus on examining the Platonic defense of the equality of nature (physis) between men and women for the exercise of the guardian function in the ideal city (Kallipolis). We argue that Plato detaches aptitude for governance from biological determination and anchors it in the nature of the soul, thereby performing a crucial philosophical move that prioritizes functional aptitude over sexual difference. The study then turns to the tragic text, examining the heroine’s striking transformation from a passive victim into a decisive agent of vengeance. At this point, we analyze how the manifestation of courage in “truth-telling” (parrhesia) is articulated in Hecuba’s discourse within a context of oppression. Finally, we examine whether the manifestation of Hecuba’s parrhesiastic logos and her strategic actions meet the rigorous requirements of the Platonic Guardian.