Secondary sourceBook1900
The Interpretation of Dreams
Sigmund Freud · 1900
Sigmund Freud's 1900 book on dream theory, which used Sophocles' Oedipus Rex to develop the idea of the 'Oedipus complex'.
Freud's book reinterprets Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, giving the play lasting influence in modern psychology.
About this source
What it is
This book, written by Sigmund Freud and published around 1900, introduces his theory of the unconscious mind and dream interpretation. In it, Freud discusses Sophocles' play Oedipus Rex as part of his developing theory of the 'Oedipus complex', one of his most famous psychological ideas.
Why it matters
Freud's reading of Oedipus Rex became one of the most influential modern interpretations of Sophocles' play, showing how an ancient tragedy could be reinterpreted through a completely new lens centuries later. It reveals how works from the distant past continue to shape and be shaped by new ways of thinking.
Look closer
- Why might a psychologist in 1900 be interested in a Greek tragedy written over two thousand years earlier?
- Does Freud's interpretation tell us more about Sophocles' own ideas, or about Freud's own time and theories?
- What might be lost or changed when a story is reinterpreted through a new framework like psychoanalysis?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Sophocles and Sigmund Freud on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
More Sophocles sources
Meet the AI Sophocles →Primary source
Oedipus Rex
Sophocles · c. 429 BCE
Primary source
Antigone
Sophocles · c. 441 BCE
Primary source
Oedipus at Colonus
Sophocles · written shortly before 406 BCE; first performed 401 BCE
BookSecondary source
Poetics
Aristotle · c. 335 BCE
SculptureSecondary source
Statue of Sophocles (Lateran type)
Roman copy, 1st century CE, of a Greek original of the 4th century BCE
Ready when you are
Start chatting with Sophocles now.
20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.