Wife of Oedipus. Also, mother of Oedipus. When the play begins, she no longer believes in the prophecies of seers. She tries to convince Oedipus not to worry about what Tiresias says. As more evidence points toward the probability that Oedipus has in fact fulfilled a terrible prophecy, she begs him not to dig any further into his past. He will not be persuaded. Realizing that her son killed her first husband, that she is now married to her son, and that Oedipus is about to bring all of this to light, Jocasta takes her own life.
Jocasta Quotes in Oedipus Rex
The Oedipus Rex quotes below are all either spoken by Jocasta or refer to Jocasta. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 709-997
Quotes
Lines 998-1310
Quotes
Man of agony—
that is the only name I have for you,
that, no other—ever, ever, ever!
that is the only name I have for you,
that, no other—ever, ever, ever!
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Oedipus Rex LitChart as a printable PDF.
Jocasta Character Timeline in Oedipus Rex
The timeline below shows where the character Jocasta appears in Oedipus Rex. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Lines 341-708
...is being unreasonable and paranoid. Oedipus refuses to listen, and says he wants Creon dead. Jocasta—Oedipus's wife and Creon's sister—approaches.
(full context)
Lines 709-997
Jocasta tells Oedipus and Creon that it's shameful to have public arguments when the city is...
(full context)
Jocasta asks how Oedipus's argument with Creon started. Oedipus tells her that Creon sent Tiresias to...
(full context)
Jocasta tells a story from her past: When Laius and Jocasta were still married, an oracle...
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Jocasta's story troubles Oedipus, so he asks Jocasta for more details about the murder of Laius....
(full context)
Jocasta asks to know what's troubling Oedipus. Oedipus tells her his life story. His father Polybus...
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...prophecy would not come true. As he wandered, he one day reached the place where Jocasta says King Laius was killed. There he had an incident with a group of men...
(full context)
...a shepherd, had said that a group of thieves killed Laius, not just one man. Jocasta also tells him not to worry, because the murder of Laius does not fit the...
(full context)
Lines 998-1310
Jocasta enters and makes an offering to Apollo to appease Oedipus's mind. Just then, a messenger—an...
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Jocasta urges Oedipus to live without fear. Yet Oedipus admits that because his mother is still...
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Jocasta reacts sharply to this last piece of news. Meanwhile, the chorus tells Oedipus that this...
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Jocasta now begs Oedipus to abandon his search for his origins. Oedipus thinks she's worried that...
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...not speak. Finally, the shepherd gives in: the parents of the baby were Laius and Jocasta. The shepherd says he was told to kill the baby boy because of a prophecy...
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Lines 1311-1680
A second messenger enters with news of events in the palace. Jocasta locked herself in her room to mourn Laius and her own fate. In hysterical grief,...
(full context)
