JOCASTA IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY

Jocasta was a queen of Thebes, twice, in Greek mythology but is famous not for her regal position but for the actions of others that doomed her, as was the want in Greek tragedy. 

Jocasta of Thebes

Jocasta was born in the Greek city of Thebes, the city founded by Cadmus, and indeed the lineage of Jocasta could be traced back to Cadmus, and also the Spartoi, Echion, thus, Jocasta was part of the ruling class of Thebes.

More directly, Jocasta was the daughter of Menoeceus, making her sister to Creon and also Hipponome. 

Jocasta Wife of Laius

Jocasta would marry the King of Thebes, Laius, son of Landacus, who had succeeded Amphion as king.

Initially, Jocasta did not give birth to an heir for her husband, and as a result Laius visited an oracle to find out about the possibility of conceiving a son.

As was the way though, the news given to Laius was not what he wanted to hear, for it was commonly said that if Laius became father to a son, then that son would kill him.

Alternatively, the oracle told Laius that Thebes would only be saved if the king did not have a son. 

Thus, Laius abstained from sleeping with his wife, but one night, when Laius had drunk more than his fair share, Jocasta slept with her husband, and as a result a son was conceived. 

Jocasta Gives Up Her Son

When Jocasta gave birth to a baby boy, the Queen of Thebes gave him over to Laius, who fearful of the oracle, decided to have abandoned, exposed on an isolated part of the countryside. The son of Jocasta and Laius was therefore given to a herdsman to do the deed, but first Laius pierced the ankles and feet of the boy with spikes.
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The herdsman, Menoetes, instead of abandoning the child upon Mount Cithaeron, passed the son of Jocasta onto another herdsman, whose master was King Polybus of Corinth. Polybus and his wife Periboea were themselves childless, and the pair raised the boy as their own. The boy was given the name Oedipus because of the injuries to his feet. 

Oedipus

Oedipus would grow up as a prince of Corinth, but when rumours placed doubt in his mind about Polybus and Periboea being his parents, Oedipus sought the counsel of an Oracle to learn the truth.
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The news given to Oedipus was that he was bound to kill his father and marry his own mother, and so wishing to do no harm to Polybus and Periboea, Oedipus left Corinth. 

The Widow Jocasta

Oedipus would travel far from Corinth, but in his journey he had to pass through the narrow pass at Phocis, and there Oedipus met Laius, and his herald Polyphontes. Oedipus failed to yield to Laius who wished to pass along the narrow road, and in the argument that followed, Oedipus killed Laius and his herald.
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Thus in one action Jocasta had become a widow, whilst the prophecies about Laius dying at the hands of his own son, and that of Oedipus killing his father, had come true. 

Jocasta Queen Again

Oedipus would travel on to Thebes, by which time the news of Laius’ death had been received, but the manner of the king of Thebes’ death was unknown.

Creon, brother of Jocasta, was acting as regent for Thebes, but Thebes was in trouble, for the Sphinx was ravaging the land. Creon was now advised that he should give the throne of Thebes, and Jocasta as wife, to whomever rid Thebes of the troublesome Sphinx.

Now many heroes faced the Sphinx but all were unable to solve the riddle uttered by the monstrous beast; but eventually Oedipus came to the Sphinx and solved the riddle.

This was how Oedipus became King of Thebes, and also how he gained a wife, in the form of Jocasta, his own mother, just as the oracle had foretold. 

Jocasta Mother Again

Jocasta would become mother again, for she bore to the new King of Thebes four children, two sons, Eteocles and Polynices, and two daughters, Antigone and Ismene. 

Death of Jocasta's Father

The killing of the Sphinx did not end the troubles of Thebes though, for famine and plague descended upon the city.

Tiresias proclaimed that the plague was due to the city’s guilt over the death of the former king Laius, but this plague could be lifted if someone willing died for the city.

Menoceus, the father of both Jocasta and Creon, heard the words of Tiresias, and threw himself from the city walls, sacrificing himself to lift the plague from the city.

The End of Jocasta

Still the troubles of Thebes continued, and Oedipus vowed to uncover the reasons why his city was cursed.

​This hunt for the truth though, would only lead to the downfall of the searcher, for Oedipus quickly learnt that he was not the son of Polybus and Periboea, and that he had been adopted.

Menoetes then identified Oedipus as the boy he had been tasked with abandoning upon Mount Cithaeron; thus Oedipus now knew that he had killed his father and married his mother, just as had been foretold.

The news would see Oedipus gouge out his own eyes, and later, when he faced persecution from his own sons, Oedipus would curse the pair, a curse that would lead to the Seven Against Thebes, and ultimately the death of the two sons of Oedipus and Jocasta.

As for Jocasta, it is commonly said that when the Queen of Thebes found out what she had unwittingly done, she committed suicide, hanging herself; a means of suicide common with many female figures in Greek mythology.

Others tell of how Jocasta would live with the shame for a number of years, before Jocasta committed suicide after her sons, Eteocles and Polynices, killed each. 

Oedipus Separating from Jocasta - Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889) - PD-art-100

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