The Oedipus Complex is a psychological attachment and physical attraction felt to the parent of the opposite sex, as well as envy and aggression directed toward the parent of the same sex. This was derived from Oedipus Rex by Sigmund Freud. Typically, this is said to be true in Oedipus Rex because Oedipus kills his father, and then marries and conceives children with his mother (Dolloff). I, personally, disagree with this theory. Oedipus was abandoned as a child by Liaus and Jocasta of Thebes three days after his birth because it was prophesied that he would kill Liaus and defile Jocasta. Oedipus was then eventually adopted by the King and Queen of Corinth. When he grew up, Oedipus went to the oracle at Delphi, who informed him of the prophecy, but happened to leave out the fact that Lauis and Jocasta were his biological parents. Disgusted by the prophecy, Oedipus left Corinth. Unbeknownst to him, he headed for his birthplace. On the road he encountered a man, and killed him, once again not knowing he was fulfilling the prophecy. When he arrived at Thebes, he defeated the Sphinx, and was named king and give Jocasta, his biological mother, as a wife. Therefore, Oedipus
cannot truly fit the complex because he had no desire to have sexual relations with his mother and eliminate his father; rather, he did so on accident (Rubin). Furthermore, Oedipus fulfilled the prophecy by deliberately trying not too, and this struggle to avoid and create one's one fate is a major them throughout the play.
Dolloff, Lauren. "The Oedipus Complex." The University of Vermont, 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uvm.edu%2F~jbailly%2Fcourses%2Ftragedy%2Fstudent%2520second%2520documents%2FOedipus%2520Complex.html>.
Rubin, Jeffrey B. "The Art of Flourishing." The Real Oedipal Complex. Psychology Today, 1 May 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-art-flourishing/201205/the-real-oedipal-complex>.
That's really interesting, I never thought of it that way before!
ReplyDeleteNow, do you think it is fate, or more of his doing? Whether Oedipus realizes it or not, he has actions that further the plot, and therefore the prophecy.
A very interesting and convincing blog on how the Oedipus complex does not fit with the story Oedipus. I think that you are right, and Oedipus was the tragic one. He could have had a happy life if the gods did not intervene. Since he did not know that he was marrying his mother, and he killed his father. He would have been a good king and lived happily after ever. I also think that the fault was not in Oedipus's hand, he should not have been the one to be so tragic. As it was his father who first tried to kill him instead of believing his son.
ReplyDeleteI like how you consider that he didn't truly marry his mother, have children with her and murder his father. To the Greeks, theses acts are so terrible because of the blood relations between Oedipus and his biological parents, rather than to the people who raised him. I think, therefore, that the Oedipus complex was improperly named because in modern day society, it would be with the parents raising the child hen said child was young. Here, Oedipus was a full grown adult, and he doesn't suffer from the definition of the Oedipus complex because he wasn't jealous of his father before he married her, or killed his father because of this jealousy.
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