This can be considered timeless because the story deals with issues that today would not be viewed favorably by people. In one of these events, the play shows us about the deepest fears of patriarchal society, such as the case in which a son murders his father and marries his wife. When Jocasta, trying to calm Oedipus, tells him that many men have dreamed of killing his father and marrying his mother. This refers to and deals with the incest taboo, which is found in all cultures. It is something that today we could see as complete madness without any doubt. There has never been a taboo as powerful, as entrenched, as ancient as that of incest. Marriage between close relatives is prohibited throughout the world. In many countries, sexual relations between very close relatives are also prohibited. Many people have never even asked themselves the reason for the ban: it is seen as natural that there should be no erotic relationship between the father or the mother with the daughter or the son, or between siblings. The idea that these relatives form a sentimental and erotic couple, permanently or briefly, horrifies us, without asking ourselves the origin of that horror.
One thought on “Walter A Macancela Week 7 Discussion”
Hey Walter,
When Oedipus married his mother jocasta who had a sexual relationship with her son refers to incest today in many cultures. Some cultures normalized having sexual relations with family members. When Jocasta tells Oedipus that many men dreamed to kill their father this shows she accepted the sexual desires they had for each other.