The Oedipus Tragedy as a Family Conflict

The Interpretation of Dreams

This thread traces the mythic sequence Freud uses to connect childhood wishes, fate, recognition, and self-punishment.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Prophecy Before Birth A Prophecy Before Birth from "The Interpretation of Dreams". A Prophecy Before Birth A threatened father Laius hears an oracle that his unborn son will kill him.

A Prophecy Before Birth from "The Interpretation of Dreams". A Prophecy Before Birth A threatened father Laius hears an oracle that his unborn son will kill him.

A Prophecy Before Birth A threatened father Laius hears an oracle that his unborn son will kill him. The prophecy turns parenthood into a threat before the child can act. Fate enters the household The parents attempt to escape the prediction by abandoning the infant.

An Infant Exposed An Infant Exposed from "The Interpretation of Dreams". An Infant Exposed An attempted prevention Oedipus is exposed as a baby but survives and is raised at a foreign court.

An Infant Exposed from "The Interpretation of Dreams". An Infant Exposed An attempted prevention Oedipus is exposed as a baby but survives and is raised at a foreign court.

An Infant Exposed An attempted prevention Oedipus is exposed as a baby but survives and is raised at a foreign court. The effort to prevent fate helps preserve its conditions. Identity concealed He grows up without knowing his parents or the circumstances of his birth.

The Roadside Killing The Roadside Killing from "The Interpretation of Dreams". The Roadside Killing Flight from the prediction Believing he must flee his supposed home, Oedipus travels away from the court where he was raised.

The Roadside Killing from "The Interpretation of Dreams". The Roadside Killing Flight from the prediction Believing he must flee his supposed home, Oedipus travels away from the court where he was raised.

The Roadside Killing Flight from the prediction Believing he must flee his supposed home, Oedipus travels away from the court where he was raised. Fate fulfilled unknowingly On the road he quarrels with Laius and kills him, fulfilling the prophecy without recognizing his father.

The Riddle and the Marriage The Riddle and the Marriage from "The Interpretation of Dreams". The Riddle and the Marriage A public victory Oedipus answers the Sphinx's riddle and gains authority in Thebes.

The Riddle and the Marriage from "The Interpretation of Dreams". The Riddle and the Marriage A public victory Oedipus answers the Sphinx's riddle and gains authority in Thebes.

The Riddle and the Marriage A public victory Oedipus answers the Sphinx's riddle and gains authority in Thebes. The city rewards him with Jocasta's hand in marriage. A hidden catastrophe The triumph joins him to the mother he does not recognize and prepares the later revelation.

Recognition and Exile Recognition and Exile from "The Interpretation of Dreams". Recognition and Exile The inquiry turns inward A search for Laius's murderer reveals Oedipus's parentage and the meaning of his past actions.

Recognition and Exile from "The Interpretation of Dreams". Recognition and Exile The inquiry turns inward A search for Laius's murderer reveals Oedipus's parentage and the meaning of his past actions.

Recognition and Exile The inquiry turns inward A search for Laius's murderer reveals Oedipus's parentage and the meaning of his past actions. Knowledge destroys the life he built. Self-punishment He blinds himself and leaves Thebes, making recognition both the end of ignorance and a new form of suffering.

Before Oedipus is born

In Oedipus's infancy

After Oedipus consults the oracle as an adult

After Oedipus reaches Thebes

When plague returns to Thebes