Freudian Mythology
Thesis: Euripides’ Bacchae,
Seneca’s Thyestes, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses all demonstrate the hidden
psychology of Freudian theory.
Freudian theory: Id =
Instincts – pleasure, primitive beast; Superego
= Morality – Motivation to follow socially acceptable behavior; Ego = Reality – conscious +
unconscious, satisfies demands of Id in safe way.
Bacchae –
Pentheus’ insanity
Thyestes – Atreus’
inner battle
Metamorphoses –
Myrrha’s demons
Pentheus’ ego from the Bacchae
I.
Introduction
II.
Bacchae
– Pentheus’ insanity
A.
Ego can’t satisfy the Id à Trying to maintain order in
the name of authority
B.
Id takes over with impulses of peeping à Cross dressing and
wanting to look
III.
Thyestes –
Atreus’ inner battle
A.
Atreus’s superego à
unsure about murder of his nephews?
B.
Id takes over à
Darkness of heart wins out, the Thyestean feast
IV.
Metamorphoses
– Myrrha’s demons
A.
Myrrha’s superego à
Staying away from her father, trying to keep to herself
B.
Id takes over à
Fornication with father
V.
Conclusion
Pentheus’ insanity in the Bacchae demonstrates the failure
of the Ego.
The Id completely takes over Pentheus and he becomes a
perverted beast.
Atreus’ hesitation about the revenge plan against his
brother, Thyestes, indicates the presence of the Superego.
Atreus’ Id finally wins out and the Thyestean feast
commences.
Myrrha’s ego faces a similar battle between the mortality of
the superego and the desire of the Id.
She finally gives into her lust for her father with the help
of the nursemaid.
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