Oedipus of Thebes: the myth and its other meanings.

Sigmund Freud used the Oedipus myth to represent a crucial part of sexual development. Careful attention to the details of the myth as related by Sophokles points the way to entirely different and fruitful understandings. Myth is seen as an external representation of man's inner life; omens and the gods are viewed in this context. We can then see Oedipus' suffering as inseparable from loss and growth. In his struggle and ambivalence, Oedipus represents that suffering and transcendence for all of us. The myth tells us of the responsibilty, the pain, and the courage which are necessary ingredients in all human growth.