The Freudian Triangle
During the late nineteenth century, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, developed the concept that the basis of the human psyche is three functional parts- the id, ego, and superego. Oscar Wilde's The Portrait of Dorian Gray molds the main characters Dorian, Lord Henry, and Basil to fit this notion. Lord Henry and Basil are a "delightful contrast" in their relationship and each influence Dorian in a Freudian manner (page 17). The id is the infant and acts solely on instinct and follows pleasure. The ego is an adult id in the sense that it wants to seek out pleasure, but because of the innate desire of self-preservation, it pressures the id into committing the sin. The superego is the conscience of the trio and does not believe in fulfilling needs, but rather in sustaining the good and morally right. In the Freudian triangle
believe that Lord Henry is, "much better than you pretend to be" (74). Even after Throughout the novel, Lord Henry strives to influence and corrupt Dorian. values. This hedonism ultimately is the cause of his own ruin.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Lord Henry, Pray Dorian, Dorian Freudian, Lord Henry's, Andrew Campbell's, Sigmund Freud, Henry Basil, Henry Pleasure, lord henry, Dorian Gray, Freudian Triangle, freudian triangle, lord henry basil, henry basil, seek pleasure, basil believes, superego basil, id ego, dorian gray, conscience freudian, lord henry's,
Approximate Word count = 610
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
