Lacan once said, in an unpublished seminar, “the Oedipus...

Lacan once said, in an unpublished seminar, â€Å"the Oedipus Complex is a dream of Freud† (Felman, 1034). It is a questionable theory and a so-called ‘dream’ because Sigmund Freud developed the Oedipus complex in such a way that allowed him to stand as an example of his own theory. It begins with what Freud would call ‘introspection’; the analysis of one’s self. He developed terms to use in his psychoanalysis; terms that divide the self and attempt to explain aspects of the human personality. Adding to the questionability of the theory is the category of myth with which the theory was named. The story of Oedipus happens to be one of the few Greek stories that do not fall under the sinful and incestuous category. Alternatively, the Theogony†¦show more content†¦According to Freud, repression is what keeps us from realizing that men love their mothers and want to kill their fathers. Reluctance is the proof that one had these desires be cause it is evidence of embarrassment. Finally, the unconscious is where these desires reside until acted on, or until one overcomes the desire and represses them further. The Oedipal complex can be applied to many myths, but those that best represent the theory are in the Theogony. A good beginning is to examine the birth of the twelve titans from Gaia, also known as Mother Earth, who conceives them with Ouranos, Father Sky. Two of the titans, Kronos and Rhea, behave in an Oedipal fashion. Kronos castrates his father Ouranos which would not have been fulfilled without Gaia’s help. This castration fulfills the patricidal aspect in Freud’s theory. Because Kronos was able to overcome his desire for his mother, he was rewarded with the next best thing to Gaia, Rhea, his sister. Kronos and Rhea then gave birth to the Olympians who all, but Zeus, get swallowed by Kronos. Zeus, also acting in an Oedipal fashion overthrows his father Kronos, with help from his mother, Rhea. This demonstrates, yet another example of overcoming the desire for one’s mother and being rewarded with a very similar mother figure. A cycle is established which rea ches its end when Hera has a son, Hephaestus, who is a lame god. Hera, unlike all the women