Rather than because he has an innate hatred for his father, Oedipus Rex strikes the charioteer who lurches over him at the crossroads, and he kills the old man in his tragic hubris, anger and arrogance:
...The old man saw me/And brought his double goad down upon my head/As I cam abrest./He was paid back, and more!/Swingin my club in this right hand I knocked him/Out of his car, and he rolled one the ground./I killed him./I killed them all....And I myself/Pronounced this malediction upon myself!
It is this flaw of pride that causes Oedipus to slay his father along with the charioteer. Had he harbored some innate wish to kill his father, Oedipus would not know (1)who he was in the first place, and (2) if he did recognize the man as his father, why would he want to kill the charioteer?
However, from "Oedipus Rex" there can be some credibility established with the concept of a male child's wishing to marry his mother since Oedipus does marry Jocasta, his mother. Still, Oedipus does not know that she is his mother, so can Oedipus be culpable of any incestual desires? It would seem that he is not. In Jocasta's case, an argument can be made for the Oedipal complex on her side since she becomes aware of Oedipus's origin and seeks to hide this information.
Finally, the question arises as to why Oedipus pursues the truth until it is revealed. If he truly desires his mother, why does he seek to know what has really happened with the baby and the shepherd?
It seems that Freud had found a catchy phrase and classic name for his theory--that is all.
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