Oedipus’s Depths

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the connections between the myths of Oedipus and Narcissus. First, we propose that Narcissus is pre-existent to Oedipus in the child’s development, and it represents its first defense against an unknown and terrifying world. Next, we argue that Oedipus’s complex comes after, but that in its “depths,” we can still find the vestigial remains of the original narcissism with its polar extremes of love and loath for oneself, or rather, as we explain, for one’s image. In our exploration of Oedipus’s foundations, we consider Melanie Klein’s objectual relation to the mother and the concept of Fundamental Violence developed by Bergeret. Finally, in an attempt to move back even past this stage, we consider the theory of Bleger on the symbiotic relationship between the newborn and the world around him. We conclude by proposing Oedipus and Narcissus as the two polarities of the same archetype of development, one being the unbridled vital instinct and the other the acceptance of reality with its norms, laws, and obligations.