Fear And Trembling

The third problem is “Was Abraham ethically defensible in keeping silent about his purpose before Sarah, before Eleazar, before Isaac?” (152). Here, the ethical is once again defined as the universal. Anything ethical is to be disclosed or shared. However, the individual remains hidden.

Several stories can illustrate the difference between the disclosed and the hidden. The first concerns a couple that is in love but must keep their love a secret because the woman is forced into marrying another man. The couple’s decision to hide their love is a free act, but ethics would demand that the couple take responsibility for the secret they have failed to reveal.

Another story comes from the play Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides in which Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia. Aesthetics requires him to maintain his silence and not seek comfort from others by sharing his pain. But aesthetics also implies that he must tell Iphigenia of his actions in order to see his daughter cry and experience the spiritual struggle of watching her receive the news. Aesthetics also allows an escape for Agamemnon, as he can tell his servant to tell his daughter and his wife the news.