Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.
Iokaste or Jocasta, as she is more familiarly known, was the wife of Laius, King of Thebes. During the couples reign, Apollos oracle started to play an important role in the familys fortunes and misfortunes.
Apollo was the God of Truth and whatever he prophesied and announced through his priestesses at Delphi always came true. Yet when Laius was forewarned by the oracle that he would die at the hands of his son, he was determined that it would not come to pass. At the birth of his son, he tied its feet together and had it exposed on a lofty mountaintop where it would presumably die.
After taking the precaution, he felt relieved and he was certain that he had outwitted the gods. Eventually he was killed, but never thought that the man who attacked him was a member of his own family. He never realized that in his death, Apollo was right after all.
A long time elapsed since the baby was left to die on top of the mountain. Rumor had it that a band of robbers had slain him and others except one who brought the news home. The details of the incident were never looked into carefully, since at that time Thebes was besieged by the Sphinx a horrible creature with the appearance of a winged lion with the face and the breast of a woman. The monster blocked all entrances to the city and any man the monster seized, was given a riddle to answer. The victim would be released only if he could answer the riddle correctly. No one could, therefore everyone who was captured was devoured. The seven great gates to the city remained closed and famine stalked the land.
It was at the height of this calamity when a stranger arrived from Corinth and his name was Oedipus. He was reputed to be the son of King Polybus and he impressed everyone with his great courage and intelligence. He decided to leave his house in Corinth because the Delphian Oracle predicted that he was fated to kill his father. Like his true father, Laius, he sought to defy the prediction and resolved never to see the man who he thought was his real father King Polybus.
When he became an exile, he heard of Thebes being besieged by the Sphinx. He sought the Sphinx and was successful in answering rightly the question put to him. At this, the Sphinx killed herself and the land was free again. The lonely exile became a welcome citizen of the Thebans who were so grateful that they made him their king and Jocasta whom he married, their queen.
Jocasta must have been an ambitious person. She must have been beautiful for Laius to choose her to be his queen since she was only a distant cousin of his and probably not royalty. This surmise is strengthened by the fact that she married Oedipus whose history she was ignorant of just so to retain her power as the reigning queen. Later on, this thirst for power is seen in her sons who later struggled to wrest the crown of Thebes from each other. By their fruits ye shall know them.
Jocasta must have sprung from a family with strong family ties. After the Sphinx, Thebes was again visited by another calamity a terrible plague. No one suffered more than Oedipus who loved his people. He sent someone he trusted most, his brother-in-law Creon to Delphis who came home with Apollos message that the plague would be over once the killer of Laius would be brought to justice. It was Teirisias, the old, blind prophet of Thebes who announced the terrible truth that Oedipus was indeed his fathers murderer.
This jibed with Oedipus memory of the Delphian prediction before he arrived in Thebes that he would kill his father and marry his mother. The rest is history. Jocasta committed suicide and Oedipus, overcome by remorse, put out his eyes and spend the rest of his life in a world of darkness. This gives us an insight into the character of Jocasta. Where her son Oedipus was a paragon of courage, she was not brave enough to face reality. She sought release in death.
Now, the question comes up: How did Jocasta contribute to the tragic downfall of Oedipus? We believe she was instrumental in Laius decision to eave the baby to die on the mountain. Being the mother, she would have realized that a more merciful death would be a swift and painless one not a lingering death with the baby exposed to the elements. She should also have exhausted every means to assure her husband and herself that the baby was indeed dead and out of the way, before relaxing and resuming living a life of enjoyment.
Should there have been event he shadow of a doubt that the baby was still alive, she could have taken all precaution to prevent her husband, Laius, to leave home, so as not to expose himself to danger and death, e.g. at the hands of outlaws. All this makes no sense at all, considering the fact that no one could foretell the future better than Apollo. Believe it when Apollo says, What will be, will be!
And again, who could blame Jocasta? Part of the prediction was marriage with her son. She had become a widow and to solve the problem of her loneliness, she opted to marry the hero-of-the-hour, Oedipus young, courageous, highly intelligent and so imbued with good looks just like his mother. He himself was lonely, homeless, friendless man to whom life meant so little. When the two met, they complemented each other. At the insistence of the Thebans, they got married, thus fulfilling the second part of the prediction.
It seems Jocasta was easily swayed by the people around her. When the Thebans urged her to marry Oedipus, she lost no time in acceding. Earlier, when King Laius decided to kill their firstborn, she offered no objection either.
The third part of the prediction was the accused royal couple would have children that men would shudder to look upon. Not so. Except for the two boys who had to fight it out for the throne of Thebes, the sisters, Antigone and Ismene were good girls, beautiful and faithful in taking care of their father till the end. Jocasta must have had a hand in their upbringing.
When their father was driven out of the city, the daughters took care of their blind, helpless father. In the course of their desolate wanderings, they came to Colonus, a lovely spot near Athens where the old man died in peace. Before his death, Apollo promised him a blessing. Theseus, King of Athens, honored him as a benefactor to the land that gave him shelter. Are we to blame him for the unlucky state of affairs? Most certainly not! Neither are we to blame the hapless Jocasta. Mother and son were victims of the Hand of Fate.
Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?
We have qualified writers to help you.
We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.
You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)
NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.
NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.