Joocasta In The Story Of Oedipus The King

1723 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on jocasta in oedipus the king

When reading the story of Oedipus the king people see it from Oedipus’s side “that he a child would kill his father and marry his mother;” however nobody sees it from the view of the mother, imagine how terrible it would be to find out that you have been bedding your own child and are grandmother and mother to the children you share. Jocasta is the Queen of Thebes, Never the less when a person is to think about what a queen 's life would be like, it would not be wrong to picture glamorous parties, fancy clothes and even an easy stress free life. However Jocastas first marriage did seem to emulate that life, and it seems like her first marriage to King Laius was happy. After the arrival or her son the happy king and queen receive the prophecy …show more content…

It is important to understand Jocasta fully before she can be judged for her action or lack thereof in some cases, first the time period it much different so as a reader, we must understand the ideas of that time, how much guilt she much have been feeling and along with how she handled the men in her life that would inevitably result in her …show more content…

The parent would not be directly responsible for its death and that way could live life feel less guilty. In Jocastas case when she abandons her child, he feels guilt, consequently after she becomes distrustful of prophecies her guilt grows. In the time the Oedipus the king is set in, people believe highly in gods, fate,and Prophecies so it was imperative to not anger the god or do anything that would dishonor you or your family and not be allowed into heaven. It is important to recognize that though Jocasta is distrusting of prophecy, she is not completely sacrilegious, and even during the story we read about her praying to Apollo. While praying to Apollo she makes offerings, and asks him for protection. No one other than the Chorus, goes as far as Jocasta had with praying. In most ways you could characterize her as one of the more god-fearing characters in the play. Not that her blind devotedness does her any good in the long run. It really is not the god that Jocasta is weary of it is they 're supposed servants like oracles.
Threw out the play you find

Show More
Related

  • Free Essays: Oedipus Rex and Antigone

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    The authority which Oedipus and Jocasta defy is the same. Both the king and his mother defy the authority of the gods by trying to evade their edict. The edict states that a son would be born to Jocasta who would marry his mother and kill his father, as Oedipus says, “How mating with my mother I must spawn a progeny...having been my father's murderer.” (OEDIPUS, Oedipus, 44). When Jocasta hears of this, she attempts to kill the baby Oedipus, thus trying to escape the prophesy. Similarly, when Oedipus, as an unmarried adult, hears that he would kill his father, he runs away from his home town, Corinth, never to return. Oedipus and Jocasta both defy the gods' authority, which in this case comes in the form of running away from a menacing prophesy. In the end, however, Jocasta dies and Oedipus is overthrown and ruined.

    Read More

  • Joocasta In Oedipus The King

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    The role of Jocasta in Oedipus the King is crucial. Jocasta sees the reality of the situation before Oedipus and the chorus do. The prophecies made themselves known long ago, and Jocasta believed that they would come true. Jocasta did have faith in the oracles, but only enough faith to suit her own purpose. She worked to suppress much of the faith Oedipus had in them, in the interest of keeping the city, herself, and Oedipus in a powerful yet strong position. Jocasta's role in the story influenced Oedipus to think back to Laius' death and begin to try to solve the Sphinx's riddle.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex Fate Vs Free Will Analysis

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Jocasta hears that Oedipus might be to blame for her husband’s death, she reassures Oedipus that it was a robber who murdered the king and that there is no possibility it was him. Oedipus sends for the one man who survived the roadside slaughter to serve as a witness. Meanwhile, a messenger comes and tells Oedipus that the king who raised him is dead. At first, Oedipus is relieved that the Oracles were wrong and that he did not kill his father, but then, the shepherd enters the palace and tells the truth: Oedipus is the one who killed the king. The shepherd continues to reveal that he is the one who saved Oedipus’ life when he was an infant. The shepherd knew who Oedipus was when he murdered the king; that is why he gave a false testimony previous to this occasion. Jocasta, shocked that she has married her son, commits suicide. When Oedipus sees what she has done, he gouges his eyes out with a pin on her dress. No matter how hard he tried to avoid fulfilling the prophecy, every path he followed led him to the same destination. E.R. Dodds, who believes the Greek tragedy is about neither fate nor free will, writes, “Bernard Knox aptly quotes the prophecy of Jesus to St. Peter, ‘Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.’ The Evangelists clearly did not intent to imply that Peter’s subsequent action was ‘fate-bound’... Peter fulfilled the prediction, but he did so by an act of

    Read More

  • Jocasta And Jocasta

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    She suggested “…it is better to live as you will, live as you can.” (Sophocles, 1970, p.22). She is going outside of her role as a queen, where she is expected to be supportive, encouraging and guiding but instead she is going outside the way people conducted themselves. Jocasta is hiding the truth about the existence of Oedipus. Her self-autonomy further been emphasised in her dialogue where she mentioned it does not really matter who Oedipus is and “what difference does it make?” (Sophocles, 1970, p.24). Consequently, in regard to her action, Jocasta was found dead by her own hand because of the horrible suffering that she carried with her (Sophocles, 1970, p.28). Again, this suggests the idea of individual freedom in Greek democratic culture does not exist in the 5th century

    Read More

  • Significance of the Women in Oedipus Rex

    2627 Words  | 6 Pages

    At the outset of Oedipus Rex no female characters are present; the reader sees a king who comes to the door full of curiosity: “Explain your mood and purport. Is it dread /Of ill that moves you or a boon ye crave?” When the priest has responded that the people are despairing from the effects of the plague, the king shows sympathy for his subjects: “Ye sicken all, well wot I, yet my pain, /How great soever yours, outtops it all.” Thomas Van Nortwick in Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life : “We see already the supreme self-confidence and ease of command in Oedipus. . . . exudes a godlike mastery in the eyes of his subjects. . . .”(21-22); such “godlike mastery” will be his undoing. The critic Ehrenberg warns that it “may lead to ‘hubris’” (74-75). Throughout the drama Sophocles draws out an ongoing contrast between the “godlike mastery” of the king and the softer, more balanced and selfless characteristics of Jocasta, his wife. She is a foil to Oedipus. Shortly thereafter Creon, Jocasta’s brother, is returning from the Delphic oracle with the fateful words of the god’s command: “...

    Read More

  • Two Highlights of the Greek Tragedian Era: Hamlet and Oedipus Rex

    572 Words  | 2 Pages

    The two writers in tragedy showed what many writers couldn’t throughout the Greek tragedian era. Sophocles, who wrote “Oedipus Rex”, portrayed Jocasta as a caring mother who soon turned into a wife of her own son, while Shakespeare, who wrote “Hamlet”, used the same Greek tragedian tools and portrayed Gertrude as a naïve mother who made one decision that separated her son, Hamlet, from her. Gertrude was similar to Jocasta in that both were naïve but protective of their own sons. However Jocasta was more aware of the actions she took, even after the prophecy was told.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jocasta’s and Laius’ fate all depends of Oedipus. The story begins with the Oracle giving them horrible news. It tells them that they will have a child, Oedipus, but when he grows up, the boy will in turn kill Laius and then it says that the boy will sleep with Jocasta after Laius dies. Both of the parents are in distress over this news, so when the little boy is born they tell a servant to put him on a mountain and leave him there to die. Years pass by and the King and Queen keep thinking that they are safe; however when Laius is on a crossroad on his way to speak to the Oracle Oedipus, his son, comes along. Lai...

    Read More

  • Ignorance is Not Bliss in William Shakespeare´s Hamlet and Sophocles

    1442 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jocasta’s blindness to the truth ruins her relationship with Oedipus unlike Gertrude’s blindness which merely taints her relationship with Hamlet. Primarily, as Oedipus comes closer to discovering the truth, Jocasta begs him to stop searching. She pleads with him yelling “No! In God’s name – if you want to live, this/ must not go on. Have I not suffered enough?/... I know I am right. I’m warning you for your own good.” (Sophocles 55). It is clear that Jocasta knows the truth and all along yet she refuses to tell Oedipus .She tries very hard to ignore the fact that Oedipus is her son because she knows once he discovers the truth, he will not even be able to look her in the eyes. It terrifies Jocasta to know that once Oedipus realizes that she is aware of the truth all along he will loathe her. Nothing hurts her more than knowing that the one she loves despises her. Jocasta can evade these unfortunate events if she did not ignore the obvious truth before her. Moreover, Jocasta desperately hopes that Oedipus dies before he u...

    Read More

  • The Illusion of Oedipus Rex

    409 Words  | 1 Pages

    Oedipus is doomed to his fate so he uses his freewill to purge the truth (WowEssays). He uses this illusion to control his life so he doesn’t feel so scared of the prophecy ever coming true. He goes to his hometown Thebes to get away from the prophecy, and while he was on the road he murders his father not knowing that it was his real father, fulfilling one part of the prophecy. When he arrived in Thebes he married his own mother, Jocasta, and believed he was the king of Thebes. Jocasta believed her son, Oedipus, was dead, but as pieces of information began to fit she realized she had married her son and that the prophecy was coming true. Nevertheless, Jocasta’s blindness lead her to commit suicide.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Not Guilty of Any Crime

    517 Words  | 2 Pages

    While still traveling, Oedipus had come to the city of Thebes. There, he saved the city from the wrath of the Sphinx by solving her riddle. Seen as a savior by the citizens of Thebes, Oedipus was made king and subsequently, the husband of Jocasta. Oedipus and his wife-mother ruled together and had four children while never knowing of the true relationship between each other.

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: Free Will or Fate?

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    After discovering she married her son, Jocasta makes the choice to kill herself. Nothing intervened or predicted her death, it was her choice.

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King Jocasta Character Analysis

    370 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the play written by Socrates, “Oedipus the King,” Jocasta is an important character in the play who is presented in the play for a miniscule amount of time, but the impact of her character is far from miniscule. Jocasta can fall into the category of both a main character and a supporting character, character because of how big of an impact her role played into the plot while also not being in many scenes. In the entirety of the play, Jocasta is Oedipus's mother, his parents got rid of him for the fear that he would kill his father and wed his mother. Jocasta, that they received from the Oracle. Jocasta throughout the story was the Queen of Thebes. Jocasta didn’t believe in any prophets, but she is later on in the play proved wrong. The

    Read More

  • Oedipus the King: A Story of Tragedy

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Which animal has one voice, but two, three or four feet being slowest on three?” This riddle was said by the monster Sphinx to all who wanted to enter into Thebes. She destroyed all that could not solve her riddle (Willson). Oedipus, whose life seemed to be controlled by fate, answered correctly. His life was one of tragedy and disaster. He is now the patron of philosophers, scientists, poets, artists, and of all truth-seekers (Wilson).

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Jocasta In Oedipus The King

    1003 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Jocasta’s physical appearance is not described in great detail, it can be deduced that she is older than Oedipus; not only is she his mother, she has been Queen since before his birth. Her age and nobility is enforced by the confidence she has in herself and her beliefs. For example, when Oedipus begins to grow anxious that his heinous fate has been sealed, she shrugs it off and encourages him not to get stressed over it. She was told a similar prophecy in the past, during her marriage with Laius, but the two of them went to great lengths

    Read More

  • The Perfect Aristotelian Tragedy: Oedipus the King

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus the King is an excellent example of Aristotle's theory of tragedy. The play has the perfect Aristotelian tragic plot consisting of paripeteia, anagnorisis and catastrophe; it has the perfect tragic character that suffers from happiness to misery due to hamartia (tragic flaw) and the play evokes pity and fear that produces the tragic effect, catharsis (a purging of emotion).

    Read More

More about Joocasta In The Story Of Oedipus The King

Open Document