Audre Lorde writes, “I write for those women who do not speak, for those who do not have a voice because they were so terrified, because we are taught to respect fear more than ourselves. We've been taught that silence would save us, but it won't.” In Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, the character Jocasta (Oedipus’s mom and wife) is put in a tragic situation where she has no say. The book conveys the tragedy from the mans point of view, and one is left to assume the views that Jocasta has. In Ruth Eisenberg’s poem Jocasta, she narrates the story of Oedipus through the eyes of Jocasta. Jocasta discusses her feelings toward situations in depth. This style is not found in Oedipus Rex. The poem utilizes alternating narrators shifting between …show more content…
She is the queen of Thebes, but nevertheless is just in the background. In Sophocles' play Oedipus the King, Jocasta endures a tragic fate of her own. She gives a deeper look to Sophocles tragedy. In popular belief, Oedipus is deemed as tragic hero within the play, however not only him but also Jocasta has gone through just as much. She gets the news about the murder of her husband king Laius from the messenger, marries her son Oedipus and commits suicide when she finds out the prophecy come true, when she thought it would not. Had this story been told in Jocasta’s point of view, readers would understand the amount of tragedy she went through. The story being told from the traditional masculine view hurts Jocasta because she does not get the attention she deserves. Jocasta is an innocent victim, who is just being controlled by the Gods and man who believe they have more power than her. This goes to show with modern society today as well. There is still an immense amount of sexism around, and that needs to change. In order to live in a robust society, everyone needs to work together, and be heard. Listening is the most important thing, so one can here the other side of an argument or story. Eisenberg does a good job with vowing for feminism through her retelling of the popular Oedipus Rex through the tragic hero