Matricide and the Trauma of Birth in Hofmannsthal's <em>Elektra</em>

Abstract

Like its Sophoclean model, Hofmannsthal's Elektra is the story of a daughter's staggering hatred for her mother and of a son's matricide. This article offers a close analysis of the play through the lens of Otto Rank's underrated theory of birth trauma. It especially explores the links between birth trauma and the violence against women committed in the sexual, social, and symbolic fields. The author's aim is to foster an awareness of the fantasies linked to birth and of the ways they are acted out against women.