Sexual Frustration as the Root of Evil Essay - 1222 Words

Sexual Frustration as the Root of Evil Sigmund Freud contends that people develop neuroses as a result of frustration. Freud’s essays on this topic postulate that sexual repression may result in aggressive behavior. These two elements emerge in the characters in Macbeth. In Freud’s book, Civilization and its discontents, he takes the premise even farther by correlating severe sexual frustration with the onset of psychoses. In regard to Macbeth, I believe that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth portray this spiral into psychosis as a result of their frustration. We can prove this by first looking at the ideologies of Freud, and then relating it to the downfall of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Freud was†¦show more content†¦A typical Freudian example of this would focus on sex. Sex is pleasurable; the desire for sexual pleasure, according to Freud, is one of the oldest and most basic urges that all people feel. However, we cannot have sex every time we desire. If we did, we could not accomplish the work we need to complete and maintain appropriate social behaviors and relationships. Therefore, we have to sublimate most of our desires for sexual pleasure, and turn that sexual energy into something else—such as writing a paper, or playing sports. Freud tells us that, without the sublimation of our sexual desires into more productive realms, there would be no civilization. The pleasure principle makes us want things that feel good, while the reality principle tells us to channel the energy elsewhere. But the desire for pleasure doesnt disappear, even when its sublimated in to work. The desires that cant be fulfilled are packed, or repressed, into a particular place in the mind, which Freud labels the unconscious. Whatever route is taken into the unconscious, what you find there, according to Freud, is almost always about sex. The contents of the unconscious mind consist primarily of sexual desires which have been repressed. He elaborates by stat ing that sexual desires are instinctual, and thatShow MoreRelatedRacism : A Form Of Systemic Racism1566 Words   |  7 Pageswere not allowed to read, they were not allowed to further themselves and by law were seen as a property not people. Humans are not naturally divided by race, but are naturally afraid of things they do not know or identify with. This fear is at the root of all discrimination and especially racism. In Chester Himes if he hollers let him go, the main character Bob is an educated black man in the 40 s, He looks for success in an unrighteous and racially divided world. Bob reacts automaticallyRead MoreGoblin Market by Christina Rossetti1239 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinition, a gentleman never takes unfair advantage . . . or insinuates evil which he dare not say out, and possesses, among other qualities, the ability to avoid all suspicion and resentment (Landow 4). 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