Abstract

Considering the Freudian and Lacanian developments on the father, this text articulates and questions the psychoanalytic concepts with Istvan Szabó’s (1985) film, Coronel Redl, which tells the story of a man who dedicates his life to the Emperor –the significant master- and ends his life in abjection and dishonor. A painstaking analysis, articulating the relationship between the main character’s own father and the Emperor, shows absolute submission to authority, which can even lead him to commit an act of treason. How is it possible for a person to follow such a path? Freud and Lacan’s conceptualizations of the father figure examine this subject: truth of the unconscious or truth of the father turns out to be the lie that prevents the subject from encountering the real, insofar as the significant master is placed there where he can willingly submit to the significant master’s will in exchange for protection in the eventuality of that encounter.

Key Words: Freud | Lacan | father | treason | symptom.