Many situations may arise which bring oedipal urges rushing to the surface. For instance, when parents divorce, an opportunity suddenly arises for the child to satisfy the desires, as there is no longer a bond between the parent, which locks the child out. Similarly, the death of a parent creates an opening as well, and perhaps this is magnified by the emotional tenderness of the parent. A parent pursuing a relationship after divorce or death can bring about these urges again, with magnified anger and anxiety, because the child once again witnesses the chance to fulfill the urge being stolen away.
Freud’s theory of the Oedipus Complex takes its name from the title character of Sophecles’ Oedipus. In this Greek drama, Oedipus has moved from his parents’ home in Corinth to escape a prophecy of fate. The prophecy of fate said that Laius’ first-born child will kill him and breed children with his wife. On his journey, he kills Laius, the king of Thebes, not knowing that he was his father. He killed him because he treated Oedipus roughly. Later, he arrives in Thebes, and solves the Sphinx’s riddle. He then becomes king of Thebes and married Laius’ widow, Jocasta, not knowing that it was also his mother. He eventually had children with Jocasta. This myth has the two key elements of the Oedipus Complex. Oedipus killed his dad and had a sexual relationship