Oedipus Essay, Research Paper

Jocasta doesn’t understand her husband’s concern about the details of Laius’ death. When she asks Oedipus why he wants to see the servant, he responds, I can hold nothing back from you, now I’ve reached this pitch of dark foreboding. Oedipus goes on to give the history of his childhood, as referenced in the fourth summary. He says that he killed a man where three roads met when the driver of the other carriage tried to push him off the road. Realizing the similarities between his narrative and Jocasta’s account, Oedipus naturally begins to suspect himself in the murder. He questions the gods: But why, why? Wouldn’t a man of judgement say and wouldn’t he be right some savage power has brought this down upon my head? Oedipus now rests his final hope in the shepherd’s coming testimony, since the shepherd, being the only eye-witness, will know whether Laius was killed by one man (Oedipus) or by a band of thieves as Jocasta claims. Even by this point Jocasta seems confident (though perhaps a little less so) that her prophecy will not come true. She maintains, Apollo was explicit: my son was doomed to kill my husband… my son, poor defenseless thing, he never had a chance to kill his father. They destroyed him first. Here, the queen obviously still believes that Oedipus, her son, is dead.

As Oedipus and Jocasta return to the castle, the Chorus takes the stage, describing Oedipus in not so flattering terms: Pride breeds the tyrant [,] violent pride, gorging, crammed to bursting with all that is overripe and rich with ruin…. Can such a man, so desperate, still boast he can save his life from the flashing bolts of god? Here, the Chorus, representing the townspeople, continues to lose faith in its king.