Friday, January 16, 2015

Provide examples and evidence of Marxism, existentialism, feminism, and Freudian pscychoanalysis in the Oedipus plays.

In Antigone, Sophocles introduces us
to the first great feminist hero, Antigone.  She is
outspoken against a man, the King.  In terms of
psychoanalysis, Antigone follows the gods laws (superego)
and not the need for revenge (id), thereby exposing Creon's self-serving behavior.  In
terms of Marxist theory, Antigone is a hero to the proles
because refuses to marry the prince and live a life of luxury.  Not only that, but she
chooses to defy martial law and bury her brother, knowing that she would receive the
death penalty.  Her existential predicament, though, is
whether or not to commit suicide.  Rather than have her fate determined for her, she
determines her own.


In Oedipus, we
have the proletariat suffering from the sins of the bourgeoisie
(Marxism): the plague upon the children is brought upon
them by the incest and regicide of the Royal House of Thebes.  Unlike Antigone, we have
Queen Jocasta who follows the patriarchal order to protect her status: she is in denial
of the truth and freedom.  She, therefore, goes against the ideals of
feminism and Marxism.
 However, Joacasta, is in the same existential predicament, for she commits suicide, not
to escape public execution, but because of shame.  She, therefore, is no existential
hero either.  Oedipus is the existential hero: he refuses
to kill himself; instead, he punishes himself and suffers the responsibility of knowing
the truth.

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