In
this psychoanalytical approach there are several theories being
introduced and used which are the id, ego, and superego. According to
Freud the id is the source of our bodily needs, desires, wants, and
impulses (our sexual and aggressive drive). The ego is dealing with
reality and the superego is guidelines for making judgement. These
three theories that Freud introduces are seen in “Oedipus
Rex”.
The
plot of the play, Oedipus Rex, is a man named Oedipus who kills his
father and marries his own mother. In Oedipus Rex the theory id
is seen when Oedipus marries his own mother. According to Freud, the
id is unconscious. If Oedipus had known Jocasta was his mother, he
would have not married her and have children. However, like any other
man, Oedipus is attracted to women and from the play the reader can
see the sexual drive within in Oedipus that can not be controlled.
In
Oedipus Rex the theory ego
is seen when thieves on the road kills a man. This thief was known to
be Oedipus and the man he murdered was his father. In the play
“Oedipus
questions Creon about the murder of Laius, who was killed by thieves
on his way to consult an oracle. Only one of his fellow travelers
escaped alive. Oedipus promises to solve the mystery of Laius’s
death, vowing to curse and drive out the murderer”(Sophocles). The
reader can see that Oedipus, before he was crowned king, was a thief
that could not resist the urge to steal from someone for his self and
end up killing someone as a result.
In
Oedipus Rex the theory superego
is seen when Oedipus sees what he has done and takes out his own eye
as well as exiling himself since he had promised to do so when
finding out who the criminal is for killing former king, Laius. In
the play “Oedipus
screams that he sees the truth and flees back into the palace. The
shepherd and the messenger slowly exit the stage. A second messenger
enters and describes scenes of suffering. Jocasta has hanged herself,
and Oedipus, finding her dead, has pulled the pins from her robe and
stabbed out his own eyes. Oedipus now emerges from the palace,
bleeding and begging to be exiled”(Sophocles). According to Freud,
the theory super-ego is a type of conscience that punishes
misbehavior and this exactly seen in Oedipus Rex.
In
Oedipus Rex the reader sees a mother and son relationship. Jacosta,
mother, marries his own son without knowing and has kids. The reader
also sees a father and son relationship. Lauis, father, is killed by
his own son, Oedipus.
Freud
explains that this play relates to the patients/people he has met
before. For example, Little Hans was scared of horses because thought
that the horse would bite of his genital. He wished his father dead
and wanted his mother but could not wish this since he loved his
father as well. Freud explains that boy and girl develop their first
attachment to their mother and get rid of father.
Freud
explains that boys sees girls without a penis and gives up his wish
to get rid of father until he finds someone like a mother. Freud
explains that girls see that they do not have a penis and wishes to
have one but can not. Father can only give penis to mother and not to
the girl until the girl finds someone like her father.
Like
in Oedipus Rex we see how Oedipus marries his own mother. Freud
explains that boys and girls develop attachment to their mother. He
also explains that boys find someone like their mother. Oedipus, a
man, feels a sexual drive/attraction to Jacosta, so he marries her
and have kids not even knowing that Jacosta is his real mother.
Some
symbolic
features shown in Oedipus Rex is when he takes out his own eye. This
shows that even with eyes Oedipus could not even tell his own father
and had killed him so what is the point of having eyes...this leads
him to think of even poking his eye out. With or without eyes Oedipus
was blind the whole time.
