Verklighet, ej dröm, men vakna drömmar : En komparativ analys mellan August Strindbergs Ett drömspel och Sigmund Freuds Drömtydning utifrån ett idéhistoriskt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: Strindberg’s A dream play has been a heavily analysed and researched drama/phenomenon since its premiere 1907. This research has been primarily of a psychoanalytic or religious nature. In contrast, the aim of this essay is to compare and examine the use of dream symbolism and themes in Strindberg’s A dream play, and how it relates to Freud’s Interpretation of dreams. The analysis is based upon the notion that since these two books are products of, and influenced by, the zeitgeist of the early 1900s, and therefore, there will exist some similarities. The means/method used is comparative analysis, i.e. a thorough and detailed analysis of symbols discovered by reading the works in parallel. As a result of comparative analysis, it became evident that there indeed exists a shared and mutual dream definition/meaning, and common portrayal of the dream function/symbol, between Strindberg and Freud. Furthermore, this provides a deeper understanding/meaning of A dream playand increases its authenticity. Despite of the fact that there already exists plenty of research on symbols in A dream play, a comparative analysis provides new insight and perspective for dream symbols, which highlights what was written about the dream in the year 1900.