... in women), involves the child's unconscious desire to possess the opposite-sexed parent and to eliminate the same-sexed one. Freud implies that in the young male, the Oedipus conflict stems from his natural love for his mother, a love which becomes sexual as his libidinal energy transfers from the ... to the boy's castration anxiety. The resolution of the Electra complex is far less clear-cut than the resolution of the Oedipus complex is in males; Freud stated that the resolution comes much later and is never truly complete. Just as the boy learned his sexual role by identifying ... mo...

• Word Count: 1898
• Approx Pages: 8

... all the reasons why he should not act, there is another force, which he cannot control. Some critics attribute Hamlets inability to act to an Oedipus complex. These proponents say that Hamlet, in his subconscious mind, has a primitive urge to remove his father for the affection of his mother, ... his uncle has done and have Gertrude for himself. If this is true, Hamlet cannot act because he is fighting against his subconscious. According to Freud, whenever a person cannot bring himself to do something that every conscious consideration tells him he should do, it is because there is some h...

• Word Count: 1772
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School