The dream of having sexual intercourse with one’s mother is also, then as now, a dream that many men share – and recount in outraged amazement. For obvious reasons, it is the key to the tragedy and complements the dream of the father’s death. The Oedipus story is the imagination’s reaction to these two typical dreams, and as the dreams are experienced by the adult with feelings of disapproval, the legend must include in its content horror and self-punishment.
