Tragedy and psychoanalysis : a study on the relationships between tragic forms and psychoanalytic techniques

Abstract

This dissertation investigates different forms of tragedy and psychoanalytic techniques that arise from them. The research will focus on the rationalities between myth and plot, and between chance and fate in order to investigate how these affect the development of the character. Two tragedies will serve as points of reference, Oedipus Rex by Sophocles from the ancient Greek canon and Shakespeare’s Hamlet from the Elizabethan Renaissance. These tragedies were chosen in view of the fact that they are amongst the most analysed by psychoanalysts due to their complex characters in relation to the plot. In terms of contextualisation, I will start by reflecting on what Aristotle considered as the ideal tragedy. I will then proceed by outlining how ancient tragedy would develop into Shakespearean tragedy, how the idea of tragedy has been further transformed, and how psychoanalytic theories developed in relation to these transformations. Following this contextualisation I will analyse Oedipus Rex and Hamlet in relation to the theories that surround them. Starting with what is arguably the most famous theory by Sigmund Freud, the Oedipus Complex, I will also refer to Jacques Lacan’s (1901–81), Carl Gustav Jung’s (1875–1961), Friedrich Nietzsche’s (1844–1900), and Martin Heidegger‘s (1889–1971) views on Freud’s theory whilst including my own critical commentary on their views. In the case of Hamlet various theories developed around characters’ actions and decisions in relation to the plot. For the sake of this study I will focus on one, namely Jung’s theory on human archetypes and the idea of separating the psyche from the sub conscious. The psychoanalytic technique which developed out of Jung’s theory will be applied to articulate Hamlet’s sub conscious character. The separate analysis of each play will set the foundation for a comparative analysis of the two plays and their main characters with respect to the myth–plot dynamic in relation to fate and chance. This will allow me to highlight similarities and differences between Oedipus and Hamlet and how the various theories discussed in the previous chapters can be applied to both characters in their respective ways. The conclusion will deal with how the development of tragedy and psychoanalysis go hand in hand when analysing one another.