Hello Readers,
Hell is an existential state of self meaninglessness totally dependent on the temporary praise or insults of others we hold in higher or equal esteem than ourselves. This is a kind of absurdity. A great tragedy. The quote has been hailed as the slogan for introverts and a lovely way to explain any sort of discontent or dissatisfaction we encounter with family members, strangers on public transport and our time-stealing co-workers. It also fits snug with the American conception of the existentialist as a sad, lonesome, life-hating frequenter of run-down cafes.
In a simple sense if i say then, it could be taken to mean that the people around us frustrate us because they do not do what we want and sometimes seem to do the opposite. Psychologically, it could be said that we choose to be near people who “fit” the flaws in our personality and so are perfectly suited to make us miserable. But this does not quite get the sense that the play intends: it is not a play about psychopathology but about the human condition.
The “hell” that other people present us with is not because they do bad things to us, but simply because they see us. They witness who we are and so do not permit us to live with the illusions that we would like to believe about ourselves.
Hegel moves his analysis of consciousness in general to self-awareness. In the tradition of idealists, Hegel posits that awareness of objects necessarily implies a certain self-consciousness, i.e. separation between the subject and the perceived object. But Hegel goes further and says that the subjects are also objects to other subjects. Self-awareness is the awareness of another self-consciousness. In other words, one becomes aware of oneself through the eyes of another. This is the famous struggle for recognition. Otherness and pure self-consciousness are involved in a “fight to the death” for recognition.
The best real-life examples would come from your own life. When you can find them, you may have understood what the play is about.
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