by Grogggy » Sun Nov 10, 2013 2:42 pm
Oedipus was a King of Thebes who unwittingly killed his father and married his mother (complicated backstory obviously).
Sigmund Frued, the father of Psychiatry (the study and help of mental problems), took this story to illustrate what he felt was a universal hidden, subconscious impulse in men to want to kill their fathers and well, you know with mom. He called it the "Oedipus Complex." As gross as this seems outwardly, it has proven usefull to explain some of what goes on underneath our conscious, aware selves. Like dreams, which he was also obsessed with, our brains are very interesting places!
So, a story like Star Wars, where the "Father" (Darth) and the "Son" (Luke) do battle, one could say: "That story is very Oedipal!"