Oedipus The King Jocasta Essay

In the original work of Oedipus Rex, Jocasta serves no purpose other than to provide a pillar for the plot to sit upon, and to add points of drama and suspense to the narrative; her character is minor. However, author Ruth F. Eisenberg fleshes out the person of Jocasta in her poem Jocasta, weaving through it intense feminist themes and philosophies. There exist several of these statements, but one of the most prominent is the regret that comes of resignedly allowing other people (namely, men) to shape one’s life, and the satisfaction that could exist in its stead. In the poem, Jocasta permits Laius to rape her because she is convinced that he, being her husband, is divinely granted this right; the Fates have dealt her this card and there is

Many years after the affair, she grieves the string of unfortunate events that have come of Laius’ choices: Oedipus’ birth and “death”, Laius’ murder and its subsequent curse, her marriage to Oedipus, and her revelation that Oedipus is the son she bore so long ago. She clearly expresses her grief and remorse when she muses, “Oh Laius, Laius, you brought this one on me. My fate was sealed my wedding day…Oh, that I must bear the shame, that I must be destroyed by your corruption. And our son, because you sinned, is ruined, damned…The only choices a woman has is that she wed accepting what the gods and men decree. It is not just. It can never be right.” (250-256, 259-261). As a woman, Jocasta has been told her entire life that she must always bow to the will of men, serving them as

When, after years of prosperity, Thebes is stricken by drought, Oedipus blames himself and seeks answers from Delphi. He is told that he must punish Laius’ murderer, and later, that he is the murderer. In his despair, Jocasta provides comfort and advice: “Oedipus needs someone to blame… I take him in my arms and stroke his hair. He tells me what Tiresias has foreseen. I laugh and tell him I too once believed that prophesy controlled our lives, that seers had magic vision the rest of us did not.” (162-168). Nowadays, such a scene would not provoke so much as a glance from passerby, but in ancient Greek culture, it would be just that: a scene. Women did not comfort their husbands in the classic sense, nor did they offer advice or express their own views. Such an idea would have been ludicrous, bringing shame upon both the woman and the man. Because of these disadvantageous circumstances, the very fact that Jocasta believes herself qualified enough to speak into her husband’s life speaks volumes about her character, revealing a determinedness and confidence that were nonexistent in her previous self. In Eisenberg’s time, public views on such standings of women in marriage were only slightly more favorable; women were still expected to be comely, passive homemakers while the men did all the heavy lifting. In portraying a woman as her husband’s ally, Eisenberg