Greek mythology has some of the most disturbing stories in
written literature. The endless capabilities of human depravity are on full
display. Yet despite the horror of these grotesque stories, they fascinate
humans. Ideas behind some of these myths continue to influence modern media produced
in the present. The strength of these stories lies not in the grotesque gore,
but in the mental depiction of people. Freudian theory splits the human mind
into three categories: Id, Superego, and Ego. The Id is the base, animalistic part
that desires pleasure. The Superego is a system of morals and values incorporated
in one’s identity to encourage socially acceptable behavior. The Ego works the
middle ground trying to satisfy the Id in the safest way. All three categories work
in combination to produce the human condition. Three particular Greek myths
that illustrate the dynamics of Freudian psychology are Euripides’ Bacchae, Seneca’s Thyestes, and Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
From these stories are three characters: Pentheus, Atreus, and Myrrha that each
suffer from a mental problem.
Pentheus’
insanity in the Bacchae demonstrates the failure of the Ego. When Pentheus
first appears he comes with the role of authority. As king of Thebes, he is
responsible for maintaining the order within the borders of his kingdom. An
important step as king is to know the actions of one’s subjects. Thus, when he
attempts to hear about the peculiar “strange new evils” occurring he is confining
in the socially acceptable role of leadership[1]. This
act of statesmanship is his Superego on full display. Underneath this authoritarian
stance of strict order and stability lurks Pentheus’ Id. Although the Ego tries
to contain the Id, glimpses of it peek out during the conversation between Pentheus
and Tiresias. At the end of Pentheus’ threats towards Tiresias, Pentheus states,
“For whenever the liquid joy of the grape comes into women’s festivals, then, I
assure you, there’s nothing wholesome in their rites.”[2] This
discussion about the maenads’ role in festivals comes from out of nowhere. The
sentence right before that was a low-key threat to toss Tiresias into prison.
Tiresias even notices Pentheus’ strange obsession with women and goes afar as
to say that Pentheus is insane.[3] As
the story continues, more of Pentheus’ sexual obsessions leak out.
When
Pentheus converses with Dionysus, the Id continues to seep out of the Ego’s
containment until it spills out completely like a flood and takes over. The
early signs of a loss of control are evident in Pentheus’ consistent references
towards women.[4] He
keeps bringing up the idea of promiscuous women even when discussing the
punishment of Dionysus, going as far as to suggest making the maenads his
slaves. However, Id trickling out in Pentheus’ first meeting with Dionysus does
not compare to the flood unleashed during the second meeting. At the second
meeting, once Dionysus gives the suggestion to “see those women,” Pentheus is
enveloped and transformed by his Id.[5] His
previous kingly position is nothing but a fleeting vestige of his former self. He
is transformed into a cross dressing voyeur with the desire to watch the maenads
fornicating. The primitive urges of pleasure won out over logic and reasoning.
Atreus’
hesitation about the revenge plan against his brother, Thyestes, indicates the
presence of the Superego. At the beginning Atreus is shown as a cunning and
malicious actor ready to murder his own nephews in cold blood. Yet at the top
of page 58 of Seneca’s Thyestes, he is wracked with self-doubt. This sudden
fear in his heart was the Superego trying to maintain Atreus’ morality.[6] Even
after he calms down and proceeds to plan out how he will lure Thyestes, he is
again struck by his self-conscious.[7] The
Superego is making a last ditch effort to deter Atreus. The self-conscious
mortality within his heart is screaming out for him to stop. However, he steels
his nerves and presses on. The Superego fails and as a result, Atreus’ Ego begins
to fall in line with his Id.
The final and
ultimate act of transformation for Atreus comes right before he slaughters
Thyestes’ sons. After he gives the funeral prayers, the palace is “rocked over
the trembling earth” and “tears drip from ivory in the temples.”[8] While
these signs are interpreted as the disfavor of the Gods, they can also been
seen as indicating the transformation of Atreus into a beast. Indeed the text
even highlights his new appearance as one akin to a “hungry tiger in an Indian
forest.”[9] Atreus’
Id finally won out. He then proceeds to murder Thyestes’ three sons in cold
blood without any hint of remorse. Again he is compared to an animal, this time
a lion, to demonstrate his new bestial nature.[10] Gone
are the previous hesitations of the Superego that brought terror to his heart. The
Thyestean feast commences.
Myrrha’s
ego faces a similar battle between the mortality of the Superego and the desire
of the Id. She secretly lusts for her father, but understands how such desires
are immoral. Her Superego reflects society’s standards. Therefore it is quite
telling that the story of Cinyras and Myrrha opens with the line, “Cinyras; had
he been childless, he might have been a happier man.”[11] The
society’s view of incestuous father-daughter relations is that it would have
been better for the daughter to never be born. Myrrha’s only effective solution
would be suicide. However, she tries to avoid taking that route by focusing all
her effort on suppressing her desires. She holds backs “this sin” thorough deep
thoughts, wondering how this passion of hers came to be and wishing for these
“foolish fancies” to leave her alone.[12] Her
Superego applies continuous pressure towards her Ego to prevent her from acting
upon her Id.
Despite all
of Myrrha’s efforts, she finally gives into her lust for her father. She is
pushed to this breaking point over time, which results in a complete collapse
of her Superego. For a while she managed to hold on by suppressing her desires
through introspection. However, once Myrrha could take it no longer she was led
once again to her last fatal choice. The nursemaid who prevents Myrrha from
committing suicide came at the opportune moment when the Superego was in
shambles, preparing for a suicide that never happened. Thus, the Ego had full
reign for the moment. The Ego’s priority was survival and Myrrha was looking
for a way out besides suicide. She ended up telling her tale to the nursemaid,
who functioned in a similar manner to the Ego by allowing Myrrha to safely
satisfy her passions.
All three
characters, Pentheus, Atreus, and Myrrha demonstrate the Freudian battle among
the Id, Superego, and Ego. Pentheus’ Ego was overcome by his overwhelming Id.
His own sexual desire was projected on others. In the end he became a victim of
his own primal urges. Atreus’ Superego came out in an active attempt to prevent
him from committing a horrendous atrocity against his brother. Unfortunately,
he strengthened his heart and committed himself to ignoring the voices of
mortality within his mind. The result was Atreus’ transformation into an
animalistic beast, only capable of craving revenge. Myrrha differed from both
Pentheus and Atreus because her Ego managed to satisfy her desires without her
being consumed by her Id. The internal conflicts within these characters demonstrate
the powerful Freudian forces that humans face when making vital decisions.
[1]
Euripides, Bacchae, line 214.
[2]
Ibid., lines 260-2.
[3]
“Your tongue runs smooth like a wheel, as if you were a man of reason, but your
words reveal no reason.” Ibid., lines 268-9.
[4]
Ibid., lines 487, 512-14, 786, 796,
[5]
Ibid., line 811.
[6]
Seneca, Thyestes, p. 58.
[7]
Ibid., p. 60.
[8]
Ibid., p. 76.
[9]
Ibid.
[10]
Ibid., p. 77.
[11]
Ovid, Metamorphoses: The Story of Cinyras
and Myrrha, p. 243.
[12]
Ibid., p. 244-5.
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