The Laius Syndrome, or the Ends of Political Fatherhood

Weineck, Silke Maria

doi:10.1353/cul.0.0063

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…But given the mythology, such a position is, arguably, naïve. Indeed, Devereux's assertion would seem to support Weineck's (2010) claim that the tendency since Freud has been to overidentify with the filial at the expense of the paternal. Ross (1982) adopts, arguably, a more sophisticated approach when he claims not that Oedipus' anger derives from Laius' impulsiveness, but that it is a part of the son's nature, which he, nonetheless, transcends.…”

Section: The Forgotten Kingmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Several writers have commented on the lack of scholarly engagement with Laius. The literary theorist Silke-Maria Weineck (2010) notes that "Ever since Sophocles banned him from the stage, Laius has remained the one we know by hearsay, the one we never see" (p. 132). 1 The psychoanalyst J. M. Ross (1982) argues that Laius' is the "forgotten story" and that "The myth of Oedipus, the son, is also the story of Laius, the father" (p. 171).…”

Section: The Forgotten Kingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Weineck (2010) tries to rehabilitate Laius as a tragic figure of fatherhood, although her analysis relies on a delinking of Laius from Chrysippos' fate. 2 This myth is also the prototype of the reverse situation, as Kronos eventually castrates Uranus with a sickle.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Alchemical Oedipus: Re‐Visioning the Myth

Ajuonuma

2023

J Analytical Psychology

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The Oedipus myth is foundational to depth psychology due to Freud’s use of Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex in the creation of psychoanalysis. But analytical psychology’s engagement with the myth has been limited despite the importance Jung also places upon it. The absence of a developed Jungian response to Oedipus means the myth’s psychologically constructive elements have been overlooked in favour of reductive Freudian interpretations. I examine whether analytical psychology can fruitfully re‐engage with Oedipus by reinterpreting his story as a paternal rebirth. This is achieved by reincorporating those parts of the myth that occur before and after the period portrayed in Oedipus Rex. Such a move reintegrates Oedipus’ father, King Laius, into the story and unveils important parallels with the alchemical trope of the king’s renewal by his son. Using Jung’s method of amplification, Oedipus is recast as Laius’ redeemer and identified with the archetype of psychological wholeness, the Self. The contention is that such an understanding of Oedipus supports a clearer recognition of the potentially generative quality of human suffering, restoring to the myth the quality of moral instruction it possessed in antiquity.

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Section: The Forgotten Kingmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: The Forgotten Kingmentioning

confidence: 99%