Oedipus Complex Essay - 1115 Words

Ever heard of the Oedipus Complex? Thank Greek playwright Sophocles and Sigmund Freud. In short, the Oedipus Complex, is when a male is born, a â€Å"fondness† or â€Å"lust† is created for his mother and a hatred for his father. In due time, the idea became prevalent after the works of Sophocles and was adapted for psychology. Nevertheless, Oedipus Rex was written around the 5th century B.C.E. Later, to continue the story Sophocles wrote Antigone. Oedipus Rex follows the character of Oedipus, the King of Thebes, and his journey to end the plague that inhabits the city. Following most Greek myths, Oedipus Rex has a Roman equivalent. Written by Seneca in the 1st century C.E, follows what seems to be the same character. To preserve Sophocles Oedipus,†¦show more content†¦As opposed to Seneca’s version, Oedipus is a very proud King. He is convinced that the plague infects the land for some other notion rather than his own sins. He sends his Jocasta’ s brother, Creon, to Delphi to speak with the Oracle. He is told that the only way the plague will stop is if, â€Å"The god bids us to expiate the king’s murder with exile—to avenge the killing of Laius.† (Seneca 35). Later finding out from the prophet, Tiresias, that he himself is the murderer of his father. Creon is then accused by the proud Oedipus, of treason and orders he be executed. Senecas’ version has Creon imprisoned. This shows how he refuses to hear the truth and rather have another killed, than accept that the plague is there by his doing. Secondly, Senecas version has a violent and gory tone. Many scenes that are detailed with intense gore. There is a sacrifice held for the summoning of the previous King Laius. The blinding scene in both depicts the writing style of both writers. In Seneca’s version, Oedipus blinds himself by gouging out his own eyes as punishment for his sins. When describing the act, â€Å"Let them be dug out stra ightway, these eyes of a married man!† (Seneca 103). Seneca goes into detail describing his emotions his emotions, his overall physical appearance as such, â€Å"With hooked hands he greedily probed his eyes, and from their base, from their very roots he wrenched the eyeballs and let them roll out together. His hands stayed embedded in the cavities, theirShow MoreRelated My Oedipus Complex Essay1066 Words   |  5 Pages The story â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† by Frank O’Connor deals exclusively with a little boy named Larry and his feelings towards his father. When his father returns home from World War II, Larry is resentful and jealous of losing his mother’s undivided attention, and finds himself in a constant struggle to win back her affections. I really enjoyed â€Å"My Oedipus Complex,† because it reminded me a great deal of my elementary school days. My brother Brian was born when I was five, and from that day on thereRead MoreEssay on Hamlet and the Oedipus Complex1319 Words   |  6 Pages When examining Hamlet through the lens of the Oedipus complex, it is critical to first define and thoroughly explain the Oedipus complex, then to apply it to Hamlets relationships, before a final conclusion is reached. The Complexities of the Complex Before one can understand the Oedipus complex, one must understand Sigmund Freuds theory on infantile sexuality. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy points out that the roots of Freuds theory can be foundRead More Hamlets Oedipus Complex Essays1190 Words   |  5 PagesVarious works of literature contain characters who embody the elements of the classic Oedipus Complex, that of a son with an undue and unhealthy attachment to his mother. D.H Lawrenceamp;#8217;s Sons and Lovers, along with other early modernist works, shows how a sonamp;#8217;s bond to his mother can lead to that characteramp;#8217;s major downfall. Even earlier than works of the late 19th Century does the Oedipus Complex appear, in this case, William Shakespeareamp;#8217;s Hamlet. Shakespeareamp;#8217;sRead More The Oedipus Complex in Literature Essays3480 Words   |  14 Pages According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary, the Oedipus Complex is a child’s positive libidinal feelings toward the parent of the opposite sex and hostile or jealous feelings toward the parent of the same sex that develop usually between the ages of three and six and that may be a source of adult personality disorde r when unresolved (Merriam-Webster). In Sons and Lovers, Paul Morel demonstrates the classic symptoms of the Oedipus complex. Paul and his father’s relationship is destroyed earlyRead More Sigmund Freuds Oedipus Complex Essay1355 Words   |  6 PagesOedipus Complex It is the fate of all of us, perhaps, to direct our first sexual impulse towards our mother and our first hatred and our first murderous wish against our father. - Sigmund Freud(Clark, 122) The Oedipus conflict or complex is a concept developed by Sigmund Freud to explain the origin of certain psychological disorders in childhood. It is defined as a childs unconscious desire for the exclusive love of the parent of the opposite sex. This desire includes jealousy toward the parentRead MoreOedipus Complex Essay793 Words   |  4 Pagesheavily involved in researching psychology, which lead him to construct many theories such as the Unconscious Mind, the Psyche, and Oedipus Complex. Although the Oedipus Complex was created from the play, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the Oedipus Complex does not apply to the tragedy of Oedipus because he did not know who his true parents were. The Oedipus Complex is a theory in which children develop sexual feelings for the parent of the opposite sex of them, and a sense of competition towardsRead More The Oedipus Complex in Oedipus Rex Essay732 Words   |  3 PagesThe Oedipus Complex in Oedipus Rex Thousands of years after Sophocles wrote the story of Oedipus Rex; psychologists named a complex after the behavioral characteristics of Oedipus. For many years psychologists have called a son having a sexual attraction toward his mother the Oedipus Complex. It is common belief that Oedipus Rex did not actually suffer from the Oedipus Complex. The basic support for this theory can be found through Oedipus inherent fear of the prophecy placed upon him,Read MoreOedipus Complex in Hamlet Essay805 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus Complex in Hamlet In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet’s personality can be explained by the Oedipus Complex. Throughout the play there are many times where he proves that he has Oedipus Complex. Oedipus Complex was not around at the time that that Hamlet was written. It just shows that Shakespeare saw the same personality complex’ as Freud. Freud first named the Oedipus Complex Theory in his book , An Interpretation of Dreams, in 1899. Freud states The child takes both of its parents,Read MoreEssay about Oedipus the King and Oedipus Complex612 Words   |  3 Pages Oedipus Rex, is a Sophocles play, that according to Freud exemplifies a formative stage in a individuals psychosexual development. The psychosexual stages are the age related developmental periods in which sexual impulses are exerted through different bodily zones and then activities are associated with those areas in the bodily zones. These is when a young child will transfer his love object from the breast to the mother. When the child gives up the breast and movesRead More Hamlet and the Oedipus Complex Essay1218 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet and the Oedipus Complex Hamlet is the typical kind of son almost every father and mother would want: intelligent, loving, caring, strong and loyal. Yet, some scholars believe that he is just another emotional character, defying our eyes to think that his acts are innocent, when his real purpose is to take his mother for himself. This gives scholars, like Ernest Jones, the impression that Hamlet’s actions were encouraged by an Oedipus complex, characterized by feelings of intense