The Female Face of Oedipus Tragedy: Iocasta

Abstract

The mythical narrative centered on Oedipus is well known, and much researches has diversified around the protagonist Oedipus. The aim of this study will be to focus on Iocasta, the female face of this tragedy, who can be analyzed as a tragic character in her own right. This article will examine Iocasta, who gave birth to Oedipus and later becomes his wife, through the ancient texts that transmit the myth of Oedipus. While the study will investigate in detail the content of the mythological narrative, it will also conduct a character analysis to answer how the mother-wife figure was shaped differently in Greek and Roman tragedies. In this regard, the study will turn its attention to how social life affects theater and thus gain the opportunity to see how theater, the most vivid part of ancient life, changed depending on the human factor. Studying the narrative with a focus on women will lead to the goal and enable a new perspective.

Keywords

• Oedipus
• Iocaste
• Ancient women
• Oedipus complex
• tragedy

Oedipus Trajedisinin Kadın Yüzü: Iocasta

Abstract

Herkes tarafından bilinen mitsel anlatı merkezine Oedipus’u alır, yapılan pek çok araştırma da baş karakter Oedipus merkezinde çeşitlenir. Hedefimiz bu trajedinin kadın yüzü olan ve başlı başına trajik bir karakter olarak incelenebilecek karakter Iocasta’yı merkeze almak olacaktır. Onu doğuran ve ardından onun eşi olan Iocasta, Oedipus mitinin aktarıldığı Antikçağ metinleri içinde incelenecek; öte yandan mitolojik anlatının içeriği detaylıca araştırılırken, karakter analizi yapılarak anne-eş figürünün Yunan ve Roma trajedisinde nasıl farklı biçimlendiğinin yanıtı verilecektir. Bu noktada dikkatimiz sosyal yaşamın tiyatro metinlerine ve sahnesine nasıl etki ettiğine çevrilecek ve böylece Antikçağ yaşayışının en canlı parçası olan tiyatronun insan faktörüne bağlı olarak nasıl değişim gösterdiğini açıkça görme fırsatı yakalayacağız. Freud’un bu mitsel anlatıya psikoloji/psikoterapi açısından bakarak ortaya koyduğu Oedipus kompleksi adının gölgesinde kalan anne ve eş figürü Iocasta’nın metindeki yeri, sosyal yaşamdaki kadına dair ip uçları verirken, bizi amacımıza ulaştıracak ve eseri kadın odaklı okumak yeni bir bakış açısına sahip olmamızı sağlayacaktır.

Keywords

• Oedipus
• Iocasta
• Antikçağ kadını
• Oedipus kompleksi
• trajedi

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