Abstract
Psychoanalysts have assumed that Sophocles can be seen through the lens of Freud, and that the Oedipus complex is about the incest taboo, guilt, and aggression. However, an examination of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (as well as other plays) suggests that these themes are only a part of the central dynamics of the play, perhaps not the most central part. This article describes discrepancies between what Freud sees of oedipal dynamics and the oedipal dynamics at work in Sophocles and suggests possible explanations. A central theme of my discussion is the shame and blindness of Oedipus.
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REFERENCES
Edwards, J. (1999). The sermons of Jonathan Edwards (P. Miller, Ed.). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Ferenczi, S. (1955). The confusion of tongues; the language of tenderness and of passion. In M. Balint (Ed.), The selected papers of Sandor Ferenczi (Vol. 3, pp. 156–157). New York: Basic Books. (Original work published 1933)
Kilborne, B. (2002). Disappearing persons: Shame and appearance. Albany: SUNY Press.
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Kilborne, B. Oedipus and the Oedipal. Am J Psychoanal 63, 289–297 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:TAJP.0000004735.93979.e9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:TAJP.0000004735.93979.e9