Despite the fact that Oedipus is acting so irrational, one person is able to calm him down. Jocasta, his wife, begs him to spare Creon's life saying, "I beg you, Oedipus, trust him in this, spare him for the sake of this his oath to God, for my sake, and the sake of those who stand here." (755-757). He is still wary though. Jocasta is able to get Oedipus calm enough and she is able to get him to accept the real story behind Laius's murder. This illustrates the motif of a strong woman behind a successful (in this case powerful) man. Despite Oedipus's previous power fueled actions, Jocasta seems to have power over him. In the end her word meant more to him than anyone else's despite the fact that she is in essence "powerless".
Oedipus uses his power to “bully” the blind prophet in order obtain unknown information. Once the truth is revealed, Oedipus is so ashamed that he, again, uses his power in order to avoid the truth behind Laius’s murder. This proves that power has consumed Oedipus’s mind – he feels as if he cannot be touched. Power blinds him from the cruel reality, and he rejects anything that may interfere with his kingship. Although, Jocasta is able to ease his mind from his distress, therefore proving that there is someone that is able to overpower him, his own wife. Overall, Oedipus is being very irrational, and you make that very clear in your blog.
ReplyDeleteJocasta has a huge influence on Oedipus. Not only is she his source of tranquility in his time of rage, be she is also confirmation of his mistrust of prophecies. She assures him that prophecies are consistently false and alludes to the example that Laius was prophesized to be killed by his own son, but that his son was killed as a baby. the relationship between Jocasta and Oedipus is yet another example of the blind leading the blind.
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