Jocasta was a tragic character in Greek mythology who was punished for unwittingly marrying her own son Oedipus. As Queen of Thebes, Jocasta was cursed with a terrible fate that raises difficult questions about guilt, innocence, and the gods’ cruelty. To understand why she was punished, we must look at the key events in her life.
Who was Jocasta?
In Greek myths, Jocasta was the daughter of King Menoeceus of Thebes. She was first married to King Laius, with whom she had a son. However, one day Laius received a prophecy that his own son would kill him and marry Jocasta. To prevent this, Laius ordered his newborn son’s feet pierced and abandoned on a mountainside to die. However, a shepherd took pity on the baby and gave him to another shepherd from Corinth. The king and queen of Corinth adopted the boy, naming him Oedipus.
Years later, Oedipus learned of the prophecy and, believing the king and queen of Corinth were his real parents, fled the city to avoid killing his father and marrying his mother. On the journey, Oedipus had a skirmish with a group of travelers and unknowingly killed King Laius, realizing only later he had killed his true father. Oedipus continued to Thebes, where he solved the riddle of the Sphinx terrorizing the city and was rewarded with the hand of the newly widowed Queen Jocasta.
Oedipus and Jocasta marry
Neither Oedipus nor Jocasta was aware of the full truth yet. They married and had four children together, living happily for many years as king and queen of Thebes. Over time, though, rumors spread that Oedipus was actually Laius’s son, born of incest within his marriage, and that he had committed both patricide and incest. Oedipus swore to solve the mystery and curses the killer of Laius.
The truth was eventually revealed through various investigations and witnesses. When Jocasta realized she had unknowingly committed both incest and adultery, she was utterly horrified. In some versions, she took her own life by hanging herself. In others, she simply fled the palace and died shortly after from shock and despair.
Shock, grief, and shame
Jocasta reacted as most of us likely would have – with overwhelming shock, grief, and shame. In a moment, her identity as faithful wife and mother had been destroyed. She faced profound guilt, though she had acted in ignorance. The curses of the prophecy had come to pass despite her attempts to prevent them.
Being powerless
As queen, Jocasta was used to having power and control. But in this situation, she was utterly powerless, subject to the will of the gods and fate. There was nothing she could do to change the terrible events that had happened. She likely felt that her only choice was to flee the unbearable situation or end her life.
Losing family
For Jocasta, her own son was lost to her as her husband. Her children were revealed to be born of incest. Her family was ripped away from her. The pain and loneliness of this would have been too much for her to bear.
Why did the gods punish Jocasta?
Jocasta was punished with this tragic fate for a couple of key reasons related to ancient Greek beliefs:
Blood guilt and murder
Greek culture believed that blood guilt from murder and violence would curse generations of a family unless properly atoned for. Laius’s murder of his own son created a debt that had to be paid. Jocasta suffered for the crimes and hubris of her husband before they met.
Dishonoring the gods
The Greeks believed trying to cheat fate and divine prophecy would anger the gods. Laius sealed his family’s fate when he attempted to defy the oracle by abandoning his newborn son to die. The gods saw this as a dishonor and caused the prophecy to play out anyway.
Women made to suffer
Greek myths often portray women as suffering for the misdeeds of men. As Laius’s wife, Jocasta bore the brunt of the punishment despite her own innocence. Her husband’s disobedience led to the ruin of her own life.
Could Jocasta have escaped punishment?
As an innocent pawn in this mythic tragedy, was there any way Jocasta could have avoided punishment? A few possibilities come to mind:
- If she had known the truth earlier, perhaps she could have prevented Oedipus’s arrival to Thebes or proven his true parentage in time.
- She could have chosen to live in exile from Thebes following the revelations, distancing herself entirely from associations with incest and adultery.
- If she had rejected marriage to Oedipus, she may have escaped her fate. But this was unlikely, given the lack of autonomy women had in Greek society.
Ultimately, the machinations of fate in Greek myths were inexorable. Jocasta had little agency to direct her own destiny. The cruelty of the gods meant she was doomed from the start by her husband’s past mistakes.
Jocasta’s legacy
The story of Oedipus has endured for centuries as an example of man’s inability to escape fate and the gods. Jocasta plays a central part in this theme through her suffering. Her character represents an innocent person caught in the crossfire of forces beyond their control.
She is a sympathetic, tragic figure who highlights the brutality that fate can inflict on blameless individuals. Her punishment underscores the lack of justice or reason in the mythic universe. Her suffering continues to pose an unsettling moral question regarding the cruelties the gods could inflict.
The character of Jocasta maintains relevance today as a powerful symbol of man’s fragility in the face of destiny. Her story will endure as long as humanity continues to wrestle with difficult philosophical questions about predetermination, hubris, morality, and existential angst in a universe where supernatural forces hold sway.
Conclusion
Jocasta was an innocent woman made to suffer horribly for crimes she did not commit. Her tragic fate raises troubling questions about the cruelty of the mythic Greek gods and the lack of justice in the universe. She was punished for her husband’s pride and blood guilt, falling victim to divine comeuppance beyond her control. Her suffering continues to resonate as a stark lesson on the harsh capriciousness of fate.