The Tragedy of Hoemdiplet: Freud’s Fusion of Oedipus and Hamlet

Abstract

Very early on, Freud centered his argument for the universality of the Oedipus complex on a reading of Oedipus Tyrannus. But why did he insist on reading it specifically as a theatrical experience on the part of a modern audience? This article argues that Freud’s theory from the start had fused the Sophoclean play with Shakespeare’s Hamlet , deploying Oedipus Tyrannus metatheatrically as Hamlet deployed “The Murder of Gonzago” to trigger a reaction in Claudius. Freud puts us in the audience of Oedipus in order for us to sense our own oedipal guilt, confirming his theory.