The so-called metaphoric content is none other than a reflection of the author's inner psyche in which the neurotic author uses literature as a form of sublimation (Freud, 150). As Dr. Mary Klages writes in her essay Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud, "…psychoanalysis asks us to pay a lot of attention to LANGUAGE, in puns, slips of the tongue…etc. This suggests how psychoanalysis is directly related to literary criticism since both kinds of analysis focus on close readings of language" (2). Hence, literature is none other than a reflection of the author's dreams (Fish, 2). And dreams, according to Sigmund Freud in The Interpretation of Dreams, are merely a reflection of a person's sub consciousness (9-12).
The unconscious mind is when you are doing or thinking something without being alert or aware that you are doing it. Along the idea of the unconscious mind Freud also developed the concept of the ‘ID’, the ‘Ego’ and the ‘Superego’. The id is described as an impulsive, selfish side to our personality which is ruled by a pleasure principle, the superego is the moral part of our personality which recognises right from wrong; and our ego is the part of our mind which tries to rationalise and arbitrate both sides of our thoughts. Freud believed that there were two main causes of abnormality in general. One of these was childhood traumas and the idea that a bad memory from our childhood is so traumatic that it buries itself in our subconscious.
Analysis of Hamlet using this criticism reveals the mental states of the characters, especially Hamlet. Hamlet’s sanity, or insanity, is undoubtedly one of the most argued discussions in literature, but the psychoanalytic criticism proves one undeniable matter. Hamlet suffers from an Oedipus complex. Hamlet and Oedipus from Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, have striking similarities which augment Hamlet’s Oedipus complex. The Oedipus complex is a psychoanalytic theory which encompasses the idea of unconsciously desiring the parent of the opposite sex, while desiring to eliminate the parent of the same sex.
Othello How is Othello (the play) a psychological play? -Make reference to some key moments The play Othello by William Shakespeare is a play primarily concerning the morals and transitions of the psychological wellbeing of the characters. The overall plot correlates Othello’s psychological shift, each act gradually descending to a mentally deranged psychopathic state. Shakespeare portrays these ideas through the wide use of animalistic imagery, hyperbole and metaphors to reinstate psychological ideas throughout the play. One of the main themes in the play Othello is manipulation.
Essay Title “Evaluate the extent to which Freud’s theory of psychosexual development can help us to understand a client’s presenting issue” 2536 Words Georgia Cooke This assignment will answer the statement “Evaluate the extent to which Freud’s theory of psychosexual development can help us to understand a client’s presenting issue”. I will begin by detailing Freud’s psychosexual theory and show its proposed relationship to adult neurotic behaviour. Some of the criticisms and weaknesses of the Freudian theory will then be discussed, followed by a brief description of alternative theory to Freud’s. I will then touch upon its relevance in the twenty first century. To conclude I will clarify the key points made within the essay and detail what I have learnt.
Selen Yılmaz 20801395 Third Essay Outline OUTLINE The Climax of Madness Essay Topic: Compare and contrast the treatment of the theme of madness in “The Fall of the House of Usher’’ and “The Yellow Wallpaper’’. Thesis Statement: Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher’’ and “Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper’’ are stories which totally include madness, fear and dread that are products of human psychology. While Poe’s story is completely immersed in madness, Gilman’s story limits the element of madness to the imagination of the narrator. In Poe’s story, madness exists in the Usher’s house and its environment, however, in Gilman’s story, madness completely in the mind of the narrator. It shows that both stories handle the subject of growing madness, however, in Poe’s story, the madness surrounds all characters, whereas in Gilman’s story the narrator is the one who is the victim of the madness.
Dissecting the Subconscious of the Irrational Teenager The short story “A&P” by John Updike can be thoroughly dissected through the psychoanalytical approach. This approach is based on an understanding of human disposition. It can further be broken down into Sigmund Freud’s three fundamental aspects of the human psyche, in which most processes formulate from the unconscious mind, all human behaviour is driven by sexuality and many ambitions and recollections are internally contained due to social taboos associated with sexual impulses. “A&P” by John Updike is about a young man named Sammy, who to secondary characters spontaneously quits his job. However, under the psychoanalytical lens, the reader is able to truly understand the main character’s motivation to quit through his inner desires about the three bikini-clad girls, and interactions and thoughts on Stokesie and Mr. Lengel.
This was suggested by Freud. This approach suggests that phobias are learnt through repression and displacement. Repression is a defence mechanism where thoughts that provoke distress are pushed into the unconscious mind so that they don’t have to be dealt with in the conscious mind. Displacement is another defence mechanism when emotions are diverted onto something else away from the thing that caused the anxiety. The theory is mainly based on Freud’s Little Hans study.
The Humanism and Mirror Stage of Jean Genêt In “The Tightrope Walker” Prepared for: Professor Sabrina Fuchs-Abrams Prepared by: Lyn C. Wiltshire Date: December 16, 2011 LIB-644500-01-11FA1: Seminar in Liberal Studies Fragment of the Artwork (2003) translated by Charlotte Mandell is a collection of essays and letters by Jean Genêt, French political essayist, playwright and novelist. A seductive essay in this collection is “The Tightrope Walker,” from the French “Le funambule” (1958), written for his lover, in which the artist performer represents solitude. In 2008, I was influenced by this essay to co-create a ballet in three acts entitled “The Rope: Tres Momentos” (2010), a collaborative international choreographic exchange between a Colombian choreographer and me. Extracted from three sources, the French, Spanish and English versions, the essay mirrors the characteristics of the choreographer and dancer as a self-absorbing solitary artist that sees objects, gesture, love and metaphorical death as a creative force. Looking inside the essay, the wire for the acrobat, as seen through the post structural approach of Jacques Lacan, symbolizes “the self as a fiction or fantasy” (Smith and Riley 199).
The use of psychoanalytical perspective in order to analyze a literary work enables the reader to examine what motivates the characters. Why they are the way they are and why they do the things they do. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago’s actions are fueled by his hatred of Othello and his resentment of Cassio. Iago is portrayed as the ultimate villain. Iago is furious at Othello for appointing Cassio to the position of personal lieutenant instead of Iago himself.