Freud’s Interpretation of Sophicles’ Oedipus Tyrannus Is Ridiculous

Freuds description of Sophocles Oedipus genus genus genus Tyrannus is ridiculous. Discuss This taste provide discuss the interpretation of Oedipus Tyrannus by Freud and whether his interpretation holds whatsoever weight in using it to aid his own theory, the Oedipus heterogeneous, or whether it was a ridiculous reading of the play itself. Freuds theory will be explored first, before moving on to look at the interpretation itself. This will give a strong sense of how the Oedipus multiplex comes about in a unripened child and help in the discussion as to whether Oedipus may befool been fulfilling this unconscious desire.The discussion will also bear upon upon Freuds belief that it is his own theory that explains the reason for the plays long-lasting success. Sigmund Freud is the convey of a branch of psychology that he named psychoanalysis, as well as having a tremendous influence in how modern font psychology has developed since the turn away of the 20th Century. Freud wa s born on may 6th 1856. The first reference to Freud having recitationd Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus to help strengthen his theory of the Oedipus mixed, which is explained below, and also the first mention of the Oedipus complex altogether comes in 1900 in Freuds The Interpretation of Dreams.However, in The Interpretation of Dreams the theory is distinctly only just beginning to be devised by Freud as it is non until 1910 that the term Oedipus compex is first used. To be able to understand Freuds interpretation of Oedipus Tyrannus it is vital to grasp what the Oedipus complex actually refers to. Before discussing the Oedipus complex it is important to discuss the earlier psychointimate evolution of a child, which leads into the development of the Oedipus complex. The first devil horizontal surfaces, or the pregenital stages, begin very other(a) in life.The first is the oral stage, unsurprisingly, as infants first derive sexual entertainment primarily through the mouth such as tasting, sucking, and making sounds. This stage is followed by the anal stage, in which the infant has observe the anus. This stage is concentrate on the take in of the self and gives the infant the first opportunity to progress a sense of independence and achievement through learning to control the bowel and bladder. With the next stage, the phallic stage, the Oedipus complex tarts becomes appargonnt. It is during this time that the infant discovers the distinction between a boy and girl, the boy begins to see the convey as a rival for his mothers affections, but also develops a fear of the get down becoming a rival for the mothers affections. Alongside these developments the child finds the genital area as an erogenous zone. The castration complex can develop throughout this period and it is important to conceptualize of the phallic and female person child as, with penis or castrated, relatively.Freud believed that the male child saw the female child as a castrated b oy and and so the result of, what seemed to be common in the turn of the century, the threat of parents telling newborn boys to stop playing with their genitals or they will be cut off. The young boy now believes that the father becomes a real threat to the affections for his mother. Between the age of four and five, Freud believed that the young child develops sexual feelings for his mother, and alongside this wants to restrain complete possession of her and thus hostile feelings develop towards the father.However, the possibility of castration that the young boy has silent to be seen in the naked girl, poses a horrific possibility to the boy. With the prejudice of his penis at stake, as in the young boys mind this is the form of retaliation the father will take to whatsoever hostile action from the child, the boy focuses his attention towards other feminine sources for sexual satisfaction. This is the Oedipus complex laid out as unimpeded development of the young boy and var iations to this development through childhood is how Freud can explain freakish sexual behavior.For the young girl the Oedipus complex follows a different bridle-path once the difference between boy and girl has been realised. The omit of a penis is seen, through the young girls eyes, as the pause of her mother, because of this the girl moves away from the need to possess the mother and begins to long for the father in a similarly sexual manner and the wish for him to steep her. It is the resulting child that Freud imagines can cure the girl of her penis envy seeing the baby as a replacement for the missing organ.For Freud however the female never really surpasses this stage of penis envy. With Freuds interpretation of Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus it is the male side of the Oedipus complex that is discussed. It is diaphanous that Oedipus indeed performs the actions that one would allot to the desires of the Oedipus complex being fulfilled The murder of his father and the sexua l magnetic north with his mother. Freuds interpretation, however, seems to conveniently ignore certain aspects of Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus, which upon inspection provide obstacles for Freuds theory to navigate.In the development of his theory on the Oedipus complex, Freud undertook a great make love of self analysis and as such it is questionable as to how generalize his thoughts can be used to understand the human development. Freud had seen the play Oedipus Tyrannus and saw himself in a very concrete sense as Oedipus. With this in mind Freuds interpretation of Oedipus Tyrannus is not change magnitude in itself, but this does have bearings on his interpretation as substantiation of the Oedipus complex. Tragedy, as in all art forms, is open to interpretation no matter what the original artist intended as the meaning.For Freud, Oedipus represents the fulfilment of the former(a) sexual desires towards the mother and the aggressive behaviour towards the father. However, that Oe dipus does not know that these two people are his biological parents seems to be piffling Freuds use of Oedipus as an exemplum for his theory. Freuds use of Oedipus is meant to show that the Oedipus complex transcends time and place. That Oedipus has a lack of noesis of his true parents doesnt seem to affect Freud in his use of Oedipus in this way. In my opinion, however, this use is severely at odds to the suggest that Freud attempts to make.A child, tally to the Oedipus complex, that grew up with non-biological parents should have had little to no effect upon the early stages that lead to the development of the Oedipus complex, thus little to no effect upon the complex itself. Oedipus was sent away as an infant to be killed, but instead grew up with different parents. This, therefore, gives no reason to think that the belief that Oedipus sleeping with his biological mother and killing his biological father is the Oedipus complex realising itself inside Oedipus.The interpret ation by Freud seems to have used the popularity of Oedipus Tyrannus, at the time he was developing his theory, to help in popularising and explaining the Oedipus complex. Although Freud himself seems to have believed that Oedipus was, indeed, a good congressman of his theory Broken down simply his argument runs, 1. There is a widely distributed psychological conflict (Oedipus complex), as I have discovered in my clinical experience. 2. This is confirmed by a drama which has usual effectiveness. 3.Why this drama is universally effective can only be understand if my hypothesis is correct. This reference to why the drama is universally effective is Freuds belief that the play in itself is not that challenging a concept. agree to Freud it is only if his theory is correct that the ability of Oedipus Tyrannus to have had the universal power to move at all. This scientific sounding argument leaves little option for Freud to be wrong, as the play has indeed enjoyed thousands of years of success.This, however, is according to Freud. Freuds interpretation of Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus seems to continually leave absolutely no room for a lack of the Oedipus complex being present. Throughout Freud seems to have missed what many people miss in Oedipus Tyrannus, Some readers of the Oedipus Rex have told me that they find its atmosphere stifling and oppressive they miss the sad saint that one gets from Antigone or the Prometheus Vinctus. They miss the courage of Oedipus, he knows of his fate and up to now he carries on.His blinding represents the fumbling of humanity for the truth in the humans and it is in this strength portrayed Oedipus that one can gain the tragic exaltation normally expected from a Tragedy. Freuds interpretation of Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus cannot be said to be an outright ridiculous interpretation. It is clear to see, when flavour at the Oedipus complex, that Oedipus fulfils the exact fantasy of the young Freudian boy. The Killing of his fat her and having a sexual relationship with his mother, however, when the interpretation is looked at closely it is obvious to see that there are clear flaws.The process of the development of the Oedipus complex cannot occur properly if one of the parents is absent from childhood, let alone some(prenominal) of them. Oedipus fulfils the fantasy of the young boy, but with the wrong parents, even though they are his biological parents. The idea that the Oedipus Tyrannus portrays the idea that no matter who, where, or when we exist, the complex is inescapable even if it remains in the subconscious is ridiculous. If this was the issue then it would have been the king and queen of Corinth that were involved in this play, Oedipus surrogate parents.That Freud felt a great similarity between himself and Oedipus is not ridiculous, in and of itself, it is the belief that his own self-analytical thoughts and the actions of Oedipus are actually similar that brings the interpretation into questi on. Oedipus acted without knowledge of his true parents, whereas Freud knew his parents and is discussing fantasy from childhood as opposed to actual action. The idea that Freuds theory provides a reason for Oedipus Tyrannus success is unimpeachably ridiculous in nature. Oedipus is the representative of the, albeit tragic, character of perseverance.He knows his fate yet carries on to find the truth, even after he has blinded himself he does not rest until he has made it to the site where he is prophesied to come to peace. Freuds interpretation of Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus has many ridiculous aspects to it, but the use to which Freud uses his interpretation does retain an aspect of credibility. Bibliography * Armstrong, R. H. Oedipus as render http//www. clas. ufl. edu/ipsa/journal/articles/psyart1999/oedipus/armstr01. htm (1998) * Gay, P the Freud reader (Vintage 1995) * Storr, A. Freud, A very short introduction (Oxford Uni. contend 1989) * Dodds, E. R.On misunderstanding the O edipus Rex Ed. E. Segal (Oxford Uni. Press 1983) * Simon, B. And Blass, R. The development and vicissitudes of Freuds ideas on the Oedipus complex Ed. Neu, J (Cambridge Uni. Press 1991) 1 . Gay (1995) xxxi 2 . Gay (1995) 273 3 . Storr (1989) 33 4 . Storr (1989) 34 5 . Simon and Blass (1991) 170 6 . Simon and Blass (1991)171 7 . Oedipus as Evidence http//www. clas. ufl. edu/ipsa/journal/articles/psyart1999/oedipus/armstr01. htm (1998) 8 . Oedipus as Evidence http//www. clas. ufl. edu/ipsa/journal/articles/psyart1999/oedipus/armstr01. htm