Freud thought that Sophocles’ play, Oedipus Rex, “had a certain resemblance to the progress of a psychoanalysis.”  In this paper, the author imagines how it might have had a better outcome if it had been conducted by a modern analyst.  Then the author takes up the question of why Freud chose Oedipus as the poster boy for his drive or fantasy theory when, in fact, Oedipus was a much better example for his seduction or real trauma theory.  The author believes that Freud knew unconsciously of his own deeply traumatic childhood, and preferred to deny it by choosing fantasy over reality.  He chose Oedipus unconsciously to reveal what he knew to be true despite his conscious denial, that real trauma was a more important factor than fantasy.



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