Girls run
the world. Behind every great man, an even greater woman stands behind him.
This has been echoed throughout history, with popular figures such as Jackie
Kennedy and Michelle Obama. In “Oedipus”, Jocasta is the only one able to calm
Oedipus out of his regressive tantrum and teenaged-like fight with Creon. She
is able to reason with him in a way so he will listen, instead of blindly
following his own belief drawn from speculations. She is not scared to call him
out on his immature behavior, claiming “Have you no sense… aren’t you ashamed,
with the land so sick, to stir up private quarrels (1393. 709-712)”.
When
Oedipus realizes in horror that he actually may have killed Liaus, Jocasta does
not go mad and freak out; instead, she stays by her husband’s side and they
devise a plan to get to the bottom of the murder, much like Celeste Boyle in Mystic River. Oedipus reacts much like
Dave to his potential carried out homicide- disgusted, scared, and frantic. But
both the women in these works are able to calm their men down and reassure
them. While Celeste comforted Dave by reasoning that the man he thinks he hurt
was probably fine because nothing about it was in the papers, Jocasta soothed
Oedipus by saying that the prophet couldn’t be right because her oracle in the
past hadn’t been true. Both women were able to anchor their husbands down in
the crazy storms that rocked their worlds.
While men
are prized and treasured in the Greek society, women played a huge role in
keeping the ball rolling smoothly. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated,
Jackie stayed strong- sending a message to the country that should’ve been
relevant throughout all of time. Women are powerful; women are strong (and they
still keep it classy while doing it).
I love how you talk about “girls run the world” and the connections you made with women who impacted our society and the women in Mystic River! When Oedipus tells Jocasta what Teiresias said about the cure of the plague, she states, “do not concern yourself about this matter; listen to me and learn that human beings have no part in the craft of prophecy” (813-815). Jocasta reasons with Oedipus as she distrusts the oracles and believes whatever happens will happen by unpredictable chance. She serves as a faithful wife to Oedipus because, as you said, “she stays by her husband’s side” when Oedipus realizes that he might of killed King Laius but is unsure. Without Jocasta to the play, Oedipus would have never figured out the truth of his prophecy and would still be in rage with Teiresias and Creon to the point where he would execute both of them despite being truthful and innocent. I agree that not only men but women can make an impact to plays, books, movies, and the society.
ReplyDeleteGreat job comparing Oedipus to the Mystic River. It is true in both of these stories the women are able to tame their men. Without Jocasta, Oedipus most likely would have had Creon killed immediately. She is the only one that was able to make him listen to reason.
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