The Oupus Complex In Oedipus Rex By Sophocles

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In the early 20th century, the famous psychiatrist Sigmund Freud described an idea that he termed “the Oedipus Complex.” According to Freud’s theory, every man, at some stage in life, has a desire to kill his father and marry his mother. The first appearance of the Oedipus Complex in literature is in the tragic play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. In this tragedy, Oedipus returns to his hometown of Thebes, kills his father, and marries his mother, although at the time he does not know they are his parents. In addition to referencing Oedipus Rex, Freud also uses Hamlet by William Shakespeare as a literary example of the Oedipus Complex. According to the Freudian interpretation of the play, Hamlet harbors a secret desire to sleep with his mother, …show more content…

For example, Hamlet says early in the play, “O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (31). Normally, a son should not discuss his mother’s sex life, but here Hamlet openly speaks about his mother’s eagerness to get in bed with his uncle. This atypical obsession with his mother’s sexual history reveals his subconscious sexual attraction to her. Another example of this obsession is the character of the ghost of King Hamlet, who is arguably a part of Prince Hamlet’s subconscious. When speaking to Hamlet, the ghost says, “Let not the royal bed of Denmark be a couch for luxury and damnèd incest.” (61). Once again, Hamlet subconsciously focuses on what is occurring in his mother’s bed, a topic which rarely crosses the mind of a typical boy. Furthermore, though Hamlet repeatedly calls the marriage incestuous, Gertrude and Claudius are in fact brother and sister in law, and therefore are permitted to marry under Christian religious laws because they are not blood relatives. Hamlet, however, describes the relationship as incestuous because to him, the idea of Gertrude being with someone else is just as revolting as …show more content…

A major part of the Oedipal Complex is killing one’s father, but Hamlet’s father is already killed by Claudius. After the ghost tells Hamlet that Claudius is indeed responsible for his father’s murder, Hamlet swears to avenge his father and kill Claudius (63). Although this promise is first made towards the beginning of the play, Hamlet does not actually kill Claudius until the very end, despite many opportunities to do so. One opportunity, for example, is in act 3 scene 3. Here Hamlet approaches Claudius and has a chance to kill him, but he holds back because Claudius appears to be praying (he is not). Hamlet does not want Claudius to go before God with a clean slate and be sent to heaven, so instead Hamlet sheaths his sword and allows Claudius to try to seek forgiveness from God. Hamlet then swears that he will kill Claudius later (167). Looking at this scene, it may appear that Hamlet is a good man who does not want to kill people, including Claudius, but a reader sees later in the play, that Hamlet kills Polonius and intentionally has Rosencrantz and Guildenstern executed. Hamlet obviously has no qualms about murder, but for Claudius he simply cannot follow through with this act. Hamlet’s lack of action against Claudius can be explained by the fact that Hamlet wants to kill his father and marry Gertrude, but Claudius has beaten him to this goal. This idea fits into Freud’s theory, as

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