By Albert Greiner - Unknown source, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1215514

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​Killing the Father

Process Theology, Freud,
​ and Oedipus Rex

​The Plot of Oedipus Rex

"Oedipus Rex" is a tragic play written by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. It tells the story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, and his tragic downfall. Here is a summary of the plot:

The play begins with the city of Thebes suffering from a terrible plague. Oedipus, the king, is determined to find the cause of the plague and save his people. He sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to the oracle at Delphi to seek guidance. Creon returns with the prophecy that the plague will end if the murderer of the previous king, Laius, is brought to justice.

Oedipus, driven by his desire to solve the mystery and protect his people, launches his own investigation. He discovers that years ago, he unknowingly killed a man on the road to Thebes who turned out to be Laius, his biological father. Additionally, Oedipus married his mother, Jocasta, who is also the queen of Thebes.

As the truth slowly unfolds, Jocasta realizes the horrifying reality and begs Oedipus to stop searching for the truth. However, Oedipus is relentless and eventually learns the full extent of his actions. In despair, Jocasta kills herself.

Oedipus blinds himself in a fit of guilt and shame, using the pins from Jocasta's dress. Creon, who is now left to rule Thebes, offers Oedipus exile instead of death. Oedipus willingly accepts his punishment and departs from Thebes, accompanied by his daughters Antigone and Ismene."Oedipus Rex" is a tragic play written by the ancient Greek playwright Sophocles. It tells the story of Oedipus, the king of Thebes, and his tragic downfall. Here is a summary of the plot:

The play begins with the city of Thebes suffering from a terrible plague. Oedipus, the king, is determined to find the cause of the plague and save his people. He sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to the oracle at Delphi to seek guidance. Creon returns with the prophecy that the plague will end if the murderer of the previous king, Laius, is brought to justice.

Oedipus, driven by his desire to solve the mystery and protect his people, launches his own investigation. He discovers that years ago, he unknowingly killed a man on the road to Thebes who turned out to be Laius, his biological father. Additionally, Oedipus married his mother, Jocasta, who is also the queen of Thebes.

As the truth slowly unfolds, Jocasta realizes the horrifying reality and begs Oedipus to stop searching for the truth. However, Oedipus is relentless and eventually learns the full extent of his actions. In despair, Jocasta kills herself.

Oedipus blinds himself in a fit of guilt and shame, using the pins from Jocasta's dress. Creon, who is now left to rule Thebes, offers Oedipus exile instead of death. Oedipus willingly accepts his punishment and departs from Thebes, accompanied by his daughters Antigone and Ismene.

​- ChatGPT

Killing the Father

Imagine someone who is so critical of the idea of God as "Father Almighty" that he "hates" the idea. Imagine that his hatred becomes a compulsion, something he can't easily control. His hatred is as much unconscious as conscious, something of which he is but dimly aware. Still, there's a fire of resentment burning inside him. Whenever he is presented with the idea his face turns red. He's always trying to argue with people who believe in an all-powerful God, showing how they are wrong. Perhaps he is an atheist, or, equally plausible, a post-evangelical process theologian. You understand his criticisms. He points out that the idea is illogical and that it has done great harm to many people. You agree. Still, you sense that there's more going on in him psychologically than meets the philosophical eye: an inner compulsion to, as Freud might put it, Kill the Father. Freud calls it an Oedipal Complex You recommend that he watch Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex and consider Freud's interpretation of it. You hope  he becomes just a little less compulsive in his anger, for his sake and for love's sake. "If the image of God as Father Almighty is to die," you say, "let it be a slow death. No need to kill." He tells you that he sees the Oedipal impulse in you, too. You watch the play together.

​- Jay McDaniel
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​Ten Themes in Oedipus Rex

A Whiteheadian Approach

There are many themes in Freud that make sense from a process or Whiteheadian perspective.

1. Repression: We can indeed bury unacceptable thoughts or desires in our unconscious mind, and much, if not most, of our experience is unconscious.
2. Sexual and aggressive instincts: We do indeed have such instincts in varying degrees and proportions, and our actions can be guided by them.
3. Unconscious guilt: We can feel responsible for things in the past beyond our control and act out of such guilt.
4. Oedipal complexes: We can carry unconscious impulses within us to "kill the father" - that is, to lash out at figures of paternal authority - which become compulsive and neurotic.

All of these are present in, or implied by, Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex. Not that a Freudian interpretation of Oedipus Rex is accurate. It has many critics. Still, a Freudian outlook offers many springboards for reflection prompted by stories in the play.

There are also themes in the play that resonate with process points of view quite apart from Freud.
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1. Fate and free will: Our lives are an interplay of "destinies" that are partly determined by the past and partly determined by our choices in the present.
2. Tragic flaw: We can and do have "flaws" in our character that are inherited from our past, among which pride and hubris are included.
3. Blindness: The future is open and not yet determined; we are literally blind to it, and we can also be blind in not anticipating the consequences of our actions.
4. Knowledge and ignorance: We never know all the circumstances and facts that determine the circumstances of our lives, and our ignorance of them can influence our destinies.
5. Prophecy: The future can be better anticipated by others than by us, and yet we may be able to influence and change the future through our actions. Or maybe not!
6. Justice: At every moment of our lives, we inherit the entire past history of the world, including our past personal decisions and more. Are we responsible for the whole of it? Maybe so!

The value of Oedipus Rex is that it raises so many questions for which there are no definitive answers. It cannot be locked up in a cage or imprisoned in a jail. It speaks to us, and we respond with the best of our understanding, given the circumstances at hand. Along the way, we learn from all the voices that can help us, including those of Freud. There is no need for hubris or hamartia. We are humble in the presence of great art and humble in the presence of life, conscious and unconscious.

The purpose of the remainder of this page is to encourage reflection on Oedipus Rex through a thoughtful BBC discussion offered below by three classics scholars: Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London; Fiona Macintosh, Professor of Classical Reception and Fellow of St Hilda’s College at the University of Oxford; and Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Durham University. The purpose is also to build upon one idea in Freud, that of the Oedipal Complex, by suggesting that one expression of this complex in contemporary theology is the hatred some process theologians feel toward the idea of God the Father Almighty.

​- Jay McDaniel

​A Scholarly Discussion of Oedipus Rex

​​BBC In Our Time

Click on Button.

Oedipus Rex: In Our Time

​"Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex begins with a warning: the murderer of the old king of Thebes, Laius, has never been identified or caught, and he’s still at large in the city. Oedipus is the current king of Thebes, and he sets out to solve the crime.

His investigations lead to a devastating conclusion. Not only is Oedipus himself the killer, but Laius was his father, and Laius’ wife Jocasta, who Oedipus has married, is his mother.
Oedipus Rex was composed during the golden age of Athens, in the 5th century BC. Sophocles probably wrote it to explore the dynamics of power in an undemocratic society. It has unsettled audiences from the very start: it is the only one of Sophocles’ plays that didn’t win first prize at Athens’ annual drama festival. But it’s had exceptionally good write-ups from the critics:

Aristotle called it the greatest example of the dramatic arts. Freud believed it laid bare the deepest structures of human desire.

With:

Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London
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Fiona Macintosh, Professor of Classical Reception and Fellow of St Hilda’s College at the University of Oxford

Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Durham University

​A Process Theologian
Reads Oedipus Rex​

Once upon a time, in a small town nestled among rolling hills, there lived a diverse group of friends who found themselves entangled in spirited debates about the nature of God. Among them were atheists who staunchly denied the existence of any divine being, and ex-evangelical Christians who had turned away from their once fervent beliefs.

Within this eclectic circle, a subset of the ex-evangelicals found solace and inspiration in a theological framework known as process theology. They believed in a real but non-all-powerful God, rejecting the notion of an authoritarian deity. They aimed to challenge the concept of God the Father Almighty or, to be more precise, challenge the "idea" of God the Father Almighty.

Their encounters with individuals who held steadfast to the belief in God the Father Almighty often left them feeling irked. They voiced their concerns about the harm they believed such a belief system had inflicted on human lives, particularly when intertwined with concepts of sin, guilt, and eternal damnation.

Interestingly, when the process theologians encountered atheists, they embarked on a different mission. They tried persuasively to convey their own understanding of God as one who embodied pure love and nurturance. They declared, "I don't believe in the God in whom you don't believe either." They passionately expounded on how process theology offered an alternative to the image of God as a domineering figure in the sky.
In contrast, the atheists were skeptical of any and all notions of God. They found the concept implausible and misguided, especially the idea of an almighty Father. The mere mention of the word "God" turned them away. Most of them didn't convert to process theology, a fact that occasionally caused a touch of frustration among the process theologians. The atheists and the process theologians did, however, share a vehement rejection of God the Father Almighty, or as they preferred to put it, the "idea" or "illusion" of such a deity.

As for me, I found myself in agreement with their critiques. Being a process theologian myself, there were times when I zealously embraced my beliefs. I, too, attempted to persuade atheists to consider the ideas I held dear. While I didn't have an evangelical background, I found certain depictions of God as a domineering figure in the sky repugnant. I still do.

But I often sense that there's something more at play in the intensity of my own rejection. Something obsessive and neurotic. This becomes clear when I think about Freud's reading of Oedipus Rex and his development of the idea of an Oedipal Complex.
Freud proposes that early in a child's life, particularly a boy's life, he develops a strong attachment to his mother while harboring jealousy and even hatred towards his father. Although Freud's theory primarily relates to family dynamics, it offers a lens through which I contemplate the intensity of oppositions to God the Father Almighty, especially if compounded by authoritarian, rule-based, and fear-based kinds of religion. If you grow up in a rule and fear-based form of religion, you may truly despise God the Father, or the idea of God the Father Almighty, and your hatred can become an obsession. This does not invalidate your critiques, but it does suggest that there are deeper psychological factors at play beyond theology alone.

Two problems arise from this. First, it becomes challenging to understand or empathize with people who genuinely believe in God the Father Almighty. Second, the obsession with what you perceive as troublesome and dangerous about the idea can consume you, leading to a loss of inner freedom and flexibility. This is where neurosis comes into play. You become controlled by your hatred of God the Father Almighty or your perception of such a figure. You become addicted to your opposition.

How can we overcome this addiction? I can speak only for myself here. I believe that process theology offers a helpful perspective. It suggests that all ideas, including those about God, whether constructive or destructive, are lures for feeling and their meanings depend on their context. This means that we can learn to see our own ideas, as well as the ideas of those we disagree with, in a more generous way. Instead of reacting immediately to what they say or believe, we can listen and seek understanding.

Another aid in overcoming the addiction is contemplative prayer: a type of prayer where we rest in silence, free from all beliefs, including beliefs about God. In this we realize that, whatever God is or isn't, God is not simply an object of belief and that God is found in silence. Understood in this way, contemplative prayer is a daily practice.

Additionally, spending time in nature can help us realize that there is much in life that goes beyond belief, and find beauty in the world around us. 

Through approaches like these, we can learn to hold onto our beliefs with a relaxed grasp and not let them consume us. These are the ways we can move beyond our obsession with rejecting the God of omnipotence and open our hearts to something more alive and beautiful. As we so open, we best remember that we do not really know ourselves. So much of our experience is unconscious, and so many of our motivations are hidden from us. In our compulsive attempts to critique omnipotence and proclaim that God is Love, might we be hiding from things, too? The good news is that complete self-knowledge is impossible and, so process theologians suggest, not at all necessary. The beauty is in our finitude.

- Jay McDaniel

More Freud
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​Here are some key elements of a Freudian interpretation:
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1. Oedipus Complex: Freud proposed the Oedipus complex, a psychological theory that suggests that during childhood, individuals experience unconscious sexual desires for the parent of the opposite sex and view the same-sex parent as a rival. In "Oedipus Rex," Oedipus unknowingly fulfills this complex by killing his father (Laius) and marrying his mother (Jocasta). This interpretation emphasizes the unconscious desires and conflicts that shape human behavior.
2. Repression: Freud argued that individuals repress or bury disturbing or unacceptable thoughts and desires into the unconscious mind. In the play, Oedipus is initially unaware of his true identity and the crimes he has committed. This can be seen as a manifestation of repressed memories and emotions. The revelation of the truth represents the uncovering of these repressed desires, leading to a psychological breakdown.
3. Sexual and Aggressive Instincts: Freud's theory suggests that human behavior is driven by sexual and aggressive instincts. In "Oedipus Rex," the fulfillment of the prophecy involves both violent acts (killing Laius) and sexual relationships (marrying Jocasta). These actions can be seen as symbolic representations of the primal instincts that Freud believed underlie human behavior.
4. Castration Anxiety and Penis Envy: Freud proposed that boys experience castration anxiety, a fear of losing their male genitalia, which leads to the identification with the father figure and the development of a superego. Girls, on the other hand, experience penis envy, longing for the male organ they lack. In the play, Oedipus gouges out his eyes upon discovering the truth, which can be interpreted as a symbolic act of castration anxiety. Jocasta's suicide can be seen as a representation of her unconscious guilt and penis envy.
5. Unconscious Desires and Guilt: A Freudian interpretation of "Oedipus Rex" emphasizes the role of unconscious desires and guilt. Oedipus' relentless pursuit of the truth can be seen as his attempt to uncover repressed desires and alleviate unconscious guilt. However, the revelation of his crimes leads to a profound sense of guilt and self-punishment.

​It is important to note that Freudian interpretations of literature are not universally accepted, and there are ongoing debates and critiques regarding the validity and applicability of Freud's theories. However, a Freudian lens can offer insights into the psychological underpinnings of the characters and their motivations in "Oedipus Rex."

- ChatGPT

​Oedipus Rex
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