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Women In Oedipus Rex

1175 Words5 Pages

The treatment of women has been a topic all throughout history. Women would be treated as lesser beings compared to men. Back in 430 b.c when Oedipus Rex took place, women were not treated equally by men in power. An example of this is when King Laius died, Jocasta did not become the ruler. She had to wait for someone to marry her to have a new ruler. Jocasta wasn 't allowed to rule because she was a women and men thought she needed a husband to guide her. From reading Oedipus Rex, Jocasta would have been qualified to rule because she is smart and cares about the people. Back in the 1700’s when Candide took place, women were still treated unequally by men as well. An example of this is when the Baron would not allow Cunégondé to marry Candide. …show more content…

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, women are not treated as poorly as women are in Candide. Women are still treated like their objects. When Jocasta was offered as a reward to the man who could solve the riddle of the sphinx. Jocasta was beautiful and was put in with the reward for motivation for men to solve the riddle. This portrays women as objects and that they are something to be owned. Also women did not really have a say in what could happen in a situation because the men had to speak for them. Women had to be loyal to the husbands or there would be a consequence for there actions. An example for this is when Jocasta and Laius were deciding to expose Oedipus on Mount Cithaeron. Laius took the newborn Oedipus from Jocasta 's arms and sent him with someone to be left out and to be exposed. Mothers have a strong connection with their children, so it must have been very difficult for Jocasta to watch her baby be exposed. In Oedipus Rex women are not portrayed as being strong and confident. An example of this is when Jocasta commits suicide. Sure she is horrified about sleeping with her son, but for someone to take their own life, it 's just showing that that person is not strong. Women are in the background staying quiet, while the men did all the talking and decision making. Jocasta tries to advise Oedipus to stop arguing with Creon because she wants them to focus on saving the city from the Miasma. They do not listen to her because they think she is being ignorant. This …show more content…

In conclusion, the treatment of women in both Candide and Oedipus Rex is horrible and disrespectful. In the books, In Oedipus Rex and Candide, the authors show the treatment of women and how they are viewed by them. The authors had different views in women but they also had some similar views. They both talked about how women were treated like objects for men to look at and how they were not allowed to have an opinion on anything. Jocasta, Cunégondé, the old women and Paquette were all victims of this sexism. Overall, all women should not have been treated like this and should have been

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