In Homer's epic The Iliad and Sophocles' play Oedipus the King, the characters Andromache and Jocasta face tragedy and conflict. Andromache endures the loss of her beloved husband while Jocasta struggles with the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy that she will marry her son. Considering the respective place of these characters in society and within their marital relationships, their perspectives and their behavior, Homer's Andromache appears as a more ideal wife and mother than Sophocles' Jocasta. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Before entering into their current marriage, both Andromache and Jocasta are noble women. Daughter of King Aetion of Cilicia, Andromache is a princess who marries a prince who leads her “out of her father's house with countless wedding gifts to conquer his heart” (22, 554-5). Her marriage to Hector is socially acceptable, as she was previously single and taken straight from home, so she is respected by her country and by Hector's family, as seen when they comfort her after her death, "se now crowding her husband's sisters around her. and her brother's wives supported her among them” (22.556-7). Unlike her Homeric counterpart, Jocasta was married and gave birth to a child by another man. Although it can be inferred that Hector is slightly older or the same age as his wife, Jocasta is at least twelve years older than her husband-son Oedipus. Because she is the queen of Thebes whose husband is a former prince, Jocasta occupies a higher place in society and in marriage than Andromache. Respected as a potential mediator by the chorus of Theban citizens, Jocasta is expected to resolve the dispute between Creon and Oedipus, with the leader declaring: "With her help you must end your fight" (707-8). After Jocasta orders the two men to return home, Oedipus and Creon complain to her as if she were a judge, with Creon informing her of Oedipus' plan to exile her and Oedipus telling her, "I 'caught me in the act... plotting, about to stab myself in the back' (718-9). When it comes to their marital relations, Andromache is the more submissive of the two. Although she begs her husband not to fight at Troy, after Hector explains to her why he must leave, she is seen "smiling through her tears" (6.578), understanding his need to earn honor. She does not discuss this further with him. Furthermore, after Hector asks her to "go home and tend the loom" (6.585-6), she obediently sits "weaving before her loom" (22.516) at the moment of Hector's death. Although their relationship may not be equal in power, it is mutually loving, as Andromache "hugging close" (6.480) cries freely at the thought of losing her husband. He then "caressed her gently" (6.579) to comfort her after declaring that he would die before allowing her to be enslaved in Argos, proclaiming: "Let the earth heap upon my corpse before I hear your cries » (6,556)! In a poignant moment also demonstrative of their loving relationship, the couple share a final moment of joy when their son cries "And his loving father laughed and his mother laughed too" (6.562-3). Andromache's affection for Hector is also apparent in the grief she expresses over his death, as she wishes she had never been born, crying, "Thank God, he never would have fathered me" (22.565 ) ! For a woman whose entire family was destroyed by Achilles, Hector is everything to her: "my father... my noble mother, a brother too"(22.508-9), and as a result she is extremely devoted to him.Jocasta and Oedipus's marriage is also mutually loving, as Oedipus asks his wife: "Who is more important to me than you" (849)? He also cares so much about her that he feels shame for having defiled her, by touching her, “body with these, the hands that killed your husband” (908-9). Jocasta assures him of her respect and love by telling him: "I will never displease you" (953), although she clearly has the upper hand in the relationship. As Oedipus' confidante, Jocasta believes: “Even I have the right, I would like to think, to know what torments you” (845-6) and Oedipus admits: “I cannot hide anything from you. .. who would want I turn to you" (847-9)? He even holds his wife in higher esteem than the chorus, saying: "I respect you, Jocasta, much more than these men here" (769-70 ).The two women differ not only in their status in their marriage and in society, but also in their outlook and behavior. Although they both believe in the existence and intervention of the gods, Jocasta has less. trust in the power of oracles, although she prays to Apollo: "I exhort [Oedipus] gently...so I turn to you" (1006-7). where the noble Trojan women gather” (6.450-1) But, despite her faith in the gods, Andromache believes that the past and present foreshadow the future rather than divine foresight After learning that the Trojans were hard pressed. by the Achaeans, she "rushed toward the wall in panic, like a madwoman" (6.459), afraid that her husband would have to enter the fight if the Trojans continued to lose. Furthermore, with all the men in her family slaughtered by Achilles, she fears that Hector will also fall to his sword. On the other hand, Jocasta's attitude is defined by the oracle. Throughout the play, she gives no credence to the prophecy and ignores clues like Oedipus's incestuous fears, dismissing them as commonplace: "Many men before you, in their dreams, have shared the bed of their mother” (1074-5). She also advises him that, because their lives are governed by chance, it is "better to live by chance, as best we can" (1072). Angry at the oracle for causing her son's death without reason, she belittles the divination by saying: "Apollo did not provoke anything. My baby did not murder his father any more than Laius suffered - his wildest fear – death at the hands of his own son” (794-6). Although she again ridicules the oracle by saying: "You prophecies of the gods, where are you now?" (1036), she finally gives in to the inevitable when she runs out of the palace shouting, “You are doomed – may you never understand who you are!” (1173-4), realizing that the oracle was correct. When she disparages the accuracy of the oracle, Jocasta attempts to be a source of stagnation by begging Oedipus to cease his search for identity: “Stop – in the name of God… cancel this search” (1163-4)! However, she has no effect on his willpower as he attributes his fears to social snobbery and ignores her warnings. Likewise, Andromache tries to prevent her husband from realizing her fate but in vain imploring: “Mercy, please! Take your position here on the rampart... before you make your son an orphan and your wife a widow” (6.511-2). ) to then receive the last word: despite his protests and his own scruples, he must go to war. Although she tries to prevent Hector from achieving the fame he is destined to have as a skilled warrior, Andromache has no faults as a wife and is frequently described as "loyal" (6.445), “warm, generous” (6.466) and “loving” (6.576). Her adoration for her husband is also manifested in her grief upon learning of his death, his »..