Oedipus Rex Group

Question:

tunka1968
tunka1968
Student
College - Senior

In "Oedipus Rex", how does the revelation of Oedipus' identity affect Jocasta?

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Posted by tunka1968 on Saturday September 20, 2008 at 11:33 AM and tagged with horror, jocasta, mother, oedipus, oedipus rex, reaction, sophocles.

Answers:


  1. robertwilliam

    After the messenger reveals to him the possibility that he might be guilty, Oedipus resolves still more firmly to seek out the murderer who is the cause of the plague on Thebes.

    Jocasta begs Oedipus not to hunt any further, to give up the search, clearly aware of what has happened. When Oedipus refuses, she walks inside. Onstage, therefore, she makes no reaction - it is left to the messenger, much later in the play, to report that she stormed into the palace tearing her hair with her fingers, went into the bedroom, slammed the door, cried out to her husband Laius, and hanged herself.

    Oedipus later cuts down her body, and blinds himself using two brooches he takes from her dress. As an interesting aside, would removing two brooches, perhaps cause Jocasta's dress to fall open, exposing her motherly/wifely breast to her son/husband as his last sight before he blinds himself?

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/oedipus-rex/

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    Posted by robertwilliam on Saturday September 20, 2008 at 2:18 PM