World Literature

World Literature

One of the striking things about a lot of the women we have been reading about is that they seem to be living under the power and control of men , but somehow they also seem to be smarter than their husbands and their sons and they actually initiate a lot of the problems . In Oedipus The King (pages 570-614 ) for example , Jocasta knows about the prophecy and yet insists on tricking Laius into having a baby with her . She is just as much a victim of the prophecy as Oedipus but

she goes ahead anyway . Later on she works out what is happening long before Oedipus does and tries to stop him bringing all the murky details to light . She just keeps quiet and lets things carry on , even though she knows , or at least suspects , who Oedipus really is . In the Bible it is Eve who tempts Adam with the apple and this is what has such terrible consequences for Cain and Abel

In the Gilgamesh story , the hero 's mother interprets the dreams for him , showing that she can see things that he doesn 't understand . She treats the young Enkidu like an adopted son , and this is reminiscent of Cain and Abel , Esau and Jacob brother figures who represent opposite character traits . The women gain their power and influence through a getting married to a great hero , b ) through motherhood , and which in turn is supposed to add to the power and influence of the...