final exam assignment

LITR 4533 TRAGEDY  Final Exam Samples 2014 (final exam assignment) Essay 2: Special Topics (Topic 3. Families in Tragedy + The Oedipal / Electra Conflict)

Cassandra Rea

Families & The Oedipal/Electra Complex

            Throughout our class readings the one thing that has stuck out to me the most is the idea of family. Each text covered thus far (and in tragedy itself) deals with the conflict surrounding one family. Personally, this is one of the reasons as to how tragedy gets its edge because these problems arise within the family always. Family and problems are something that I think that every individual can relate to at some point or another. Granted it might not be as severe as murder or incest but having problems within the family allows the audience to connect with the play and by extension tragedy. Even though each story is quite different, they did possess many similar qualities that relate to the notion of the family. But the quite disturbing thing that stuck out about these families was the Oedipal/Electra Complex. This complex surrounds the idea of the child wanting the affection for the opposite-sex parent with the hatred of the affection that the other parent gives. This in particular stuck out like a sore thumb because I had never heard of this concept before as well as I thought it was a tad radical for my taste. But nonetheless it offered a very interesting insight into how the family dynamic works.

            The idea of family and its importance to tragedy derives from Aristotle. He states that “the best tragedies are founded on the story of a few houses [i.e. families]” (XIII 13c). The reasoning behind this is that the idea of fear and pity is powerful on its own but when you put that in between a family, it takes those concepts to a whole new level. The story becomes even more enticing because the incidents that happen within the play are occurring between relatives. As an audience we are able to relate with dysfunction within our families even though it may not be as extreme as the tragic plays. By putting crazy, radical decision making with harsh consequences between family members does indeed allow for a good tragic story.

            The first dose of families as well as the Electra Complex is in The Oresteia Trilogy. After Agamemnon has been murdered by his wife, it is Electra who goes to her brother Orestes and convinces him to avenge their father’s death by murdering their mother and lover. Electra that has the unusual bond with her father rather her mother. In the second part of the trilogy we learn that Electra discovered her mother’s love affair and basically grew to hate her which leads to her enticing her brother to kill them. Compared to other stories Electra’s love for her father seems like pure devotion but it is still a little unsettling with the amount of devotion that she for him. However, the modern version of The Oresteia Trilogy known as Mourning Becomes Electra offers a better understanding to the whole Electra Complex.

In this updated version, the relationship between Lavinia and her mother, Christine is very troubled and they fight for the attention of Ezra when he returns home. Lavinia tries in every way possible to vie for her father’s attention even so much to cater to him like a wife. Not only does she strive for this attention but she also wishes for the same kind of affection in return. Even though it is not sexualized per se, the thought of her fighting for attention like a wife seems unpleasing. These two versions allows the audience to see the complicated feelings that each daughter has toward their father and wants to be considered as equals in affection such as like the wife. Although the thought of this can seem uneasy at times, it does allow the audience to see this complex relationship between father and daughter.

Unlike the Electra Complex that focuses on the daughter and father relationship, the Oedipal Complex deals with the son and mother relationship. The prime example of this complex is none other than Oedipus, hence where the name derives from just as Electra from The Oresteia Trilogy. Honestly, this one is very more disturbing than the first two texts because Oedipus marries his mother, then has children with her as well. Despite not knowing that it is his mother, once it is revealed it is disturbing all around especially for the characters themselves. This came to be because his parents received a prophecy that their son would murder his father then marry his mother. So they sentenced their son to die but the Shepherd that was given the order could not murder him but instead lied to the king and queen about his death. When the truth comes to pass, Oedipus is full of disgust as is Jocasta (his mother). The difference in this case compared to others is that Oedipus was unaware that he fell in love with his mother. This brings up the point that the Oedipus complex can be put into effect without the characters intentionally doing so. Even though it is indeed disgusting, as audience we feel sympathetic towards the situation because neither knew the truth when they wed and had children but rather after the fact.

Unlike Oedipus that dealt with the son to mother relationship, in Hippolytus it is reversed; the stepmother and the son. Phaedra has fallen head over heels in love with her stepson Hippolytus. She is convinced to make a move on her feelings once she believed that her husband was dead. However, they were never romantically involved, it was this strange relationship that led to the demise of the tragic hero of Hippolytus. It was her love for him that murdered him essentially. This story shows how the misfortunate love that Phaedra has for Hippolytus affects an entire family because in the end no one came out a winner and the family was destroyed. It is this story that shows a whole different perspective of the Oedipal/Electra Complex and how it can destroy the family from within.

Desire Under the Elms is the modern version of Hippolytus and just like the O’Neill’s other tragic modern version, this too is more scandalous than the original. Here we see also see the step-mother and son relationship but this one gets extremely physical with the father still in the picture. At first, Abbie and Eben despise each other but soon realize its attraction. It is Abbie who makes the move with Eben to progress their relationship into a sexual territory. This story is so scandalous as compared to the others because the son gives the love and affection in return. It can seem disturbing when one party is in love but when it is both, there are no words but shock (or at least it was for me). What’s even more unsettling is that Abbie tells Eben that she will love him like a son which turns into a sexual relationship. It is with this story that the Oedipal/Electra Complex comes full circle because both parties give into the desire and misfortunate fate that their love bestows upon them.

The Oedipal/Electra Complex is an idea that was invented through tragedy but still lives on in modern society. An example that most would be familiar with is Norman Bates from Psycho. When his mother got a new boyfriend, he became very jealous to the point that he murdered her and her lover so that no one could have her. Even in today’s example, this idea presented by Freud can be seen as very disturbing. But audiences are drawn to this complex because it deals with issues within the family and in some way everyone can relate even though it may not be to this extreme. Not only is this complex important to tragedy but also the idea of problems arising within the family is the cornerstone of any great tragedy, even Aristotle thought so. I feel that we as audience like to delve into the unknown of what we cannot comprehend but since it is held within the family, it makes the story that much better. It takes it to a level of realness and involves fear and pity for the family members involved. One thing to remember however is, where there is a family, the Oedipal/Electra is not far behind when it comes to stories in tragedy even in our modern society.