Applying the theory of the Oedipus complex to Oedipus Rex

by Mutsuko Takahashi

As for Freud's theory of the Oedipus complex, I have explained in the following article:

Freud's Psychosexual Stages and the Oedipus Complex - Mutsuko Takahashi BLOG

In this article, I will explain how to apply the concept of the Oedipus complex to literary works.

The origin of the Oedipus Complex

Freud explains the Oedipus complex by raising some examples in his essay: one of which is from Oedipus Rex (BC427) by Sophokles (BC496-406).

In his essay, Freud coined the term Oedipus Complex from the Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex. The theory indicates that a male child has a potential desire to kill his father to accomplish his incestuous desire with his mother.

The summary of Oedipus Rex

Laius, the King of Thebes, had a son with his wife, Jocasta. One day, the King commanded his servant to kill the boy after receiving a prophecy that states "he is destined to be killed by his own son". However, the servant felt sorry for the child and left him in the woods. The King and Queen of a neighboring country unexpectedly found the baby boy and raise him. This child was Oedipus.

As Oedipus grows, he comes to question of his origin. Then, he has received a prophecy, "you would kill your father, marry your mother, and have a child".

Oedipus has left the palace of the King and Queen to avoid the prophecy to become real. The destination to which he toward was coincidentally his birthplace, Thebes. At that time, there have been appearing a monster called Sphinx in Thebes, and  Laius, the King of Thebes, left his palace accompanying his servants to exterminate it. Then, the King's troop and Oedipus run into each other.

Getting into a fight, Oedipus kills the man without knowing he is the King of Thebes who is his real father. Thus, the first prophecy to King Laius that  "he is destined to be killed by his own son", has become true.

Oedipus became a hero in Thebes since he defeated the Sphinx. He ascended the throne as a new King of Thebe; of course, including himself, nobody has known that he is the murderer of the late King. His acquisition of the throne means that he made an abhorrent incest marriage with his own mother even though they didn't know their kinship.

Soon, Oedipus has a child with her own mother. For some reason, the abominable misfortunes continuously happened. While he tried to find out the cause, the truth was gradually brought to light.

Freud's analysis of Oedipus Rex

Freud's analysis of the story of Oedipus Rex shows that the incidents King Oedipus murders his father and married his mother are based on his fundamental desire, what Freud coined the term, Oedipus complex. He argues that this kind of desire might have been ours; for, what King Oedipus achieved was the fulfillment of our own childhood wishes of patricide and the incestuous desire.

Stop and think for further possible interpretations

So basically, the Freudian theory of Oedipal theme is focused on a male child in his relationship with his father. Now, I would like to raise another viewpoint for further possible interpretations. I would introduce the concept of Lacan, for it is interesting to compare. When we explore further possibilities with keeping in mind that Freud focuses on the desire of a male child, we will discover the possibility to challenge the Freudian theory by focusing on the female desire with applying the theory of Jacque Lacan.

In his Ecrits (1966), Lacan argues that "women, not having the phallus, are seen to be the phallus".

Judith Butler facilitates this esoteric Lacanian concept into a more understandable way by emphasizing the difference between "being" the phallus and "having" the Phallus in her Gender Trouble. She states that different from "having" the Phallus, to "be" the Phallus for women is to "embody" the Phallus by reflecting the power of the Phallus.

My analysis of Freud's analysis

The Lacanian view provides us the alternative possibility of interpretation. Freud focuses on man's desire, but we observe a woman's desire from Lacanian thought. Yes! This extended view is what I define as a literary study.

To support this idea, I'd like to emphasize what we can actually observe from the text of Oedipus Rex. The text implies the mother's desire who wishes her son to ascend the throne as a successor of her husband. It is possible to think that this kind of desire might come from her envy and antagonism to her husband's royal authority.

In fact, Freud advocates the concept of "penis envy". The Freudian theory of "penis envy" denotes that a female child finds herself as an originally castrated existence with her discovery of her lack of penis. The penis is a physical organ whereas phallus is a symbolical representation of the power. Freud focuses on male desires in his own analysis of Oedipus Rex; however, it is possible for us to reinterpret Oedipus Rex in terms of the reflection of female desires seen through the Freudian concept of "penis envy"; hence, we can cover the range of which is not mentioned by the Freudian perspective.

In other words, the Queen's envy toward the Lacanian idea of Phallic power can be interpreted as being based on the Freudian concept of penis envy.

 It can be said that the female sexual drive derives from the desire to be controlled by a man, while man's sexual drive derives from the desire for conquest and dominate a woman. Please note: I'm not referring to the ideology of today, but to the socio-cultural idea of the times seen through the psychological lens.

Those impulses keep the balance of supply and demand when they are young, but later in their lives, a female's self-assertion increases to an equal level to a man. Therefore, we can interpret that Jocasta's subconscious envy and antagonism to her husband might come from her desire to be equal. More to the point, being born as a woman who has been deprived of the Phallic power, she has an impotent rage due to the unfairness as a patriarchal victim. In order to offset this rage, she tries to realize her dream by her son as a substitute.

For further analysis

One of the important things for the literary study is to support your idea; otherwise, your idea wouldn't go beyond the range of your imagination. So, let's' provide ample materials to support your idea.

To support my argument, I would raise two incidents at the end of Oedipus Rex. Lamenting his blindness though he has the eyes to see, Oedipus crushed his eyes to be physically blind. Being "blind" is psychologically parallel to the concept of "castration". In his essay, The Uncanny, Freud analyzes Hoffman's "The Sandman". It is the story that if children won't go to bed, the Sandman throws a handful of sand into their eyes. The protagonist of "The Sandman" listened to this story in his childhood, but still being bothered of this traumatic story all the years of his adolescence. Freud claims that the Sandman's motif of the"ruined eyeballs" is a representation of castration anxiety.

 
For the first proof to support my argument, I would raise the Oedipus' physical blindness as a ritualistic castration. As for the second proof, I would raise Creon's words for Oedipus. Interestingly, at the conclusion of the story of Oedipus Rex, Creon says, "Don’t try to be in charge of everything. Your life has lost the power you once had". 

As I have discussed thus far, we can interpret the ending of Oedipus Rex as King Oedipus' "castration" from both perspectives of female desires and male desires: the Lacanian idea of Phallus and the Freudian idea of penis envy. Moreover, we can develop the concept of penis envy into the further interpretation. The idea of penis envy is to denote a female child's desire; however, if we connect this idea with the "castration anxiety", we can apply this idea for the male desire. It is because the "castration anxiety" is deeply related to the Oedipus complex.

I have already explained that overcoming the Oedipus complex is the first step for the maturity of infantile development. As for the Oedipus complex, I explained in the following article:

 Freud's Psychosexual Stages and the Oedipus Complex - Mutsuko Takahashi BLOG