In The Children of Jocasta, Natalie Haynes revisits the story of Oedipus Rex we all probably read in high school but with a twist or two or three.
Jocasta is fifteen when she is married to Laius, an elderly king who prefers men to women and hunting to ruling his kingdom of Thebes. He needs an heir, but isn’t interested in fathering a child, so prevails upon a member of his retinue to father the child—with the proviso that any son be killed as a prophecy has foretold that he would be killed by his son. When he is killed, Jocasta assumes the throne and marries Oedipus, with whom she has an instant bond. Together they have four children, Eteokles, Polyneikes, Antigone, and Ismene, but this story focuses on the youngest, Ismene. She is fifteen when she is stabbed by an unknown assailant in her parents’ court, fallen victim to a plot to overthrow the ruler of the kingdom. The two timelines eventually intersect as the denouement approaches. The incest between Oedipus and Jocasta is merely a rumor that hints at this sin. There is also an underlying theme of disease as two “Reckonings” or outbreaks of some sort of plague occur.
Haynes takes more than a few liberties with the story, but—hey—this is a retelling. The story is told in two time lines and two points of view, those of Jocasta and Ismene, two women who are underplayed in the myths of Oedipus and Antigone. Antigone’s role is underplayed here in favor of Ismene’s. Haynes also gives potential new motivations for characters’ actions and beliefs.
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The Children of Jocasta is available through:
Your local independent bookseller | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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You can read my reviews of other of Natalie Haynes’s books here:
Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth
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