History UsefulNotes / OedipusComplex

The concept takes its name from Creator/{{Sophocles}}' tragedy ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'', wherein Oedipus (unknowingly) [[{{Patricide}} kills his father]] and then [[ParentalIncest marries and has sex with his widowed mother]]. Freud thought virtually no one would take it that far in real life, but described the events of the play as an ExaggeratedTrope:

UsefulNotes/CarlJung later coined a DistaffCounterpart of the Oedipus complex: the Electra complex, where the conflict is between mother and daughter, named after another one of Sophocles' tragedies, ''Theatre/{{Electra}}''. Freud, however, rejected the idea.

The concept takes its name from Creator/{{Sophocles}}' tragedy ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'', wherein Oedipus {unknowingly) [[{{Patricide}} kills his father]] and then [[ParentalIncest marries and has sex with his widowed mother]]. Freud thought virtually no one would take it that far in real life, but described the events of the play as an ExaggeratedTrope:

The concept takes its name from Creator/{{Sophocles}}' tragedy ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'', wherein Oedipus [[{{Patricide}} kills his father]] and then [[ParentalIncest marries and has sex with his widowed mother]]. Freud thought virtually no one would take it that far in real life, but described the events of the play as an ExaggeratedTrope:

The concept takes its name from Creator/{{Sophocles}}' tragedy ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'', wherein Oedipus [[{{Patricide}} kills his father]] and then [[ParentalIncest marries and has sex with his widowed mother]], with neither parents nor child being aware of their true relationships. Freud thought virtually no one would take it that far in real life, but described the events of the play as an ExaggeratedTrope:

The namesake, Oedipus himself, is [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample not an example]]. As a newborn it was prophesied that Oedipus would one day kill his father and marry his mother, so he was abandoned by his biological parents then found and raised by adoptive parents. Oedipus didn't know who his biological parents were until it was too late. He was ''not'' someone who secretly wanted to kill his father and sleep with his mother -- he ''desperately'' didn't want ''either'', but ended up doing so anyway because YouCantFightFate.

The concept takes its name from the play ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'', wherein Oedipus [[{{Patricide}} kills his father]] and then [[ParentalIncest marries and has sex with his widowed mother]]. Freud thought virtually no one would take it that far in real life, but described the events of the play as an ExaggeratedTrope:

UsefulNotes/CarlJung later coined a DistaffCounterpart of the Oedipus complex: the Electra complex, where the conflict is between mother and daughter, named after one of Sophocles' tragedies, ''Theatre/{{Electra}}''. Freud, however, rejected the idea.

Another tempered reimagining of the idea can be seen in the trope JealousParent. It has the same basic premise of jealousy in the parent-child triangle, but the jealous figure is the father rather than the son. The incest is removed; the father and son both desire the mother's affections, but the husband's desire is sexual while the son's is not. A baby literally ''needs'' its mother in a bodily, bone-deep, instinctual way that can be difficult for adults to fully imagine. The son may be possessively fixated on his mother, and that love may function jealously -- just as sexual love does -- without it ''actually'' being amorous.

The namesake, Oedipus himself, is [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample not an example]]. Oedipus was a foundling child abandoned by his true parents, who had been forewarned that the boy would bring tragedy upon the family. Raised by a shepherd, Oedipus didn't know who his parents were - until it was too late. He was ''not'' someone who secretly wanted to kill his father and sleep with his mother -- he ''desperately'' didn't want ''either'', but ended up doing so anyway because YouCantFightFate.

Interestingly though, in the play Jocasta ([[SurpriseIncest Oedipus's wife and unknowingly his mother]]) at one point comments that it's not especially unusual for people to have dreams of sleeping with their mothers, meaning the concept itself is OlderThanTheyThink.

The namesake, Oedipus himself, is [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample not an example]]. Oedipus was an orphan raised by a shepherd, who didn't know who his parents were - until it was too late. He was ''not'' someone who secretly wanted to kill his father and sleep with his mother -- he ''desperately'' didn't want ''either'', but ended up doing so anyway because YouCantFightFate.

The namesake, Oedipus himself, is [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample not an example]]. Oedipus never knew who his mother and father were until it was too late. He was ''not'' someone who secretly wanted to kill his father and sleep with his mother -- he ''desperately'' didn't want ''either'', but ended up doing so anyway because YouCantFightFate.