Oedipus of Sophocles and Freud ‘Oedipus the King’, by Sophocles has for years been incorrectly associated with Freud’s Oedipal complex. While at face value it might seem connected, upon closer examination it can be seen that Oedipus does not in fact have an oedipal complex. When the play is looked at through a psychoanalytical lens, many things are unveiled but a sexual desire for his mother and a will to kill his father is not a part of the lot. Sophocles highlights in his play the role of fate
Kendra Mah Ms. Cavagnaro English 10 4 December 2017 The Downfall of Oedipus What ultimately causes Oedipus’ downfall as a tragic hero? Better more, what are his most crucial fatal flaws? In the play Oedipus Rex, also known by the title, Oedipus the King, is a Greek tragedy by Sophocles. Oedipus is the biological son of Jocasta and Laius, the queen and king of Thebes. But an oracle reveals that his son, is doomed to kill him and marry Jocasta barring children. Laius then binds the infant's
Oedipus Rex would be considered a tragic hero because he possesses hubris and hamartia which is shown throughout the story. Oedipus’s downfall was caused by several things acting upon him like hamartia and his sins. Hamartia is the major flaw in a character that causes their downfall which for Oedipus was his pride. Hubris is the flaw of excessive pride which Oedipus shows tremendously in the story. The definition of a tragic hero is “an extraordinary man brought down by some tragic fall or weakness