Suicide and its Essence to Greek Life (A Literary Analysis on Theban Plays)

Oedipus tragic story is one of the most well-known and respected literary piece in the world since its time of publication circa 442-401 B.C. by Sophocles (sophocles.net, 2011). It is considered to be the Greeks par excellence. However, it has been highly noted that the plays can be associated with deaths especially having suicide as one of the main themes. If you have read the plays, in the first part, Oedipus Rex, Jocasta, Oedipus mother and wife, upon learning that the prophecy has been fulfilled, decided to take her own life; and in Antigone, especially, Antigone, because of her determination of to never defy the divine law, Haemon, because of Antigones death and Eurydice, Creons wife, due to her sons death also commit suicide. It is not only in plays but also in real life that suicide is like a prominent act in ancient Greek culture. Suicide is also included in some Greek works such as Iliad and Heracles (Parada and Forlag, 1997). Some of the most notable persons in Greek history are Socrates and Cleopatra. But why is it that suicide seems to be a significant part of ancient Greek culture? Hungarian Psychiatrist and State University of New York Health Science Center Psychiatry Emeritus Professor Thomas S. Szasz (1920) stated Suicide is a fundamental human right. This does not mean that it is morally desirable. It only means that society does not have the moral right to interfere (thinkexist.com, 2011). If Szasz statement is to be believed, then suicide can be considered to be a natural part of the human being thus making him a natural susceptible to commit suicide with her own reasons and never to be interfered by those who are around him. According to an article entitled Final Farewell: The Culture of Death and Afterlife Exhibition it its section Suicide in Graeco-Roman Society posted by The Curators of the University of Missouri (2011), Graeco-Roman attitudes toward suicide held that it could be acceptable under certain circumstances. Suicide most often occurred when ones honor was irretrievably lost, and the individual confronted great public shame. It could also be associated with political arrest, it one refused submission to tyrannical authorities. If this is so, then Jocastas act upon learning that the prophecy on her family has been fulfilled is logical since she received a great public shame on marrying his own son. Also, Antigones suicidal is also acceptable

since her suicidal act is a product of her determination to oppose that law passed by Creon, who was king of Thebes of that time, that her brother, Polyneices, was not to be buried but to be left exposed in public and be disgraced. Antigone insisted on it and to her despair, she committed suicide to avoid acting against the divine law rather than acknowledging the law passed by man. But in some aspects, Jocastas suicide can be as martyrdom if it will be based on Altruistic Suicide or Altruistic Martyrdom? Christian Greek orthodox Neomartyrs: A Case Study (Constantelos, 2004). It gives emphasis on the fact that Hellenism includes several stories of persons greatly honored because they offered themselves as sacrifice for principles of altruistic love, for conscience's sake or for the country's honor and freedom. Since at that time when the truth has been excavated, Thebes has been under a great crisis and Terisias, the blind prophet said that the only way to stop the crisis is to find the murderer of Laius, and that is, Oedipus, to save her people of Thebes and her ser self from the rage of Hades, she decided to commit suicide. One of the points of views that can also be considered is that suicide is an attempt of an individual to free him from intolerable existence. This has been based on the ideals and beliefs of Stoics or Stoicism, a philosophical sect that was formed in Greece by Zeno of Citium. They also believed in the right to commit suicide -- an important part of Roman cultural tradition. (Boeree, G, 2000). Emile Dukheim also gave emphasis on his book Suicide regarding a suicide type he called Fatalistic suicides which occur in overly oppressive societies, causing people to prefer to die than to carry on living within their society (Canthro,D.,2011).With Jocasta s shame on fulfilling the prophecy of marrying his own son, we may say that she cannot tolerate the oppressing idea and prefer to dire. The same way may go to the suicide acts done by Haemon because of his great loss of Antigone as well as to his mother Eurycide for losing her own son. There may be a thousand explanations regarding the suicides included in the Theban plays of Sophocles. At first, it may sound like a dark influence to its readers since it seems taught of suicide as a usual act of an individual. Even though, instead, why world we look to the negative side when we can take a better insight to the lighter side, that it taught one of the best moral: No matter how powerful your, how vast your name may have reach, you are still a human and you re still meeting death. Nothing can defy the Divine law, thus, you can never ever be above it. Act in parallel of the good and never ever let you be indulged by the influence of power and title

LIST OF REFERENCES: Boeree, George C. (2000). Stoic view on suicide. The Ancient Greeks, Part Three:Epicureans and Stoics. Retrieved on August 4, 2011 from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/latergreeks.html Canthro, Dani (2011). Suicide as a chance to escape an intolerable fate. Emil Durkheim: Crime and Suicide. Retrieved on August 4, 2011 from http://www.slideshare.net/DaniCathro/emile-durkheim-6774912 Constanstelos, Demetrios (2004). Suicide or Martyrdom. Altruistic Suicide of Altruistic Martyrdom? Christian Greeks Orthodox Neomartyrs: A Case Study. Archive of Suicide Research, Vol.8, No.1, 2004. Retrieved on August 3, 2011 from http://www.myriobiblos.gr/texts/english/constantelos_altrouistic_2.html. Curators of the University of Missouri (2011). Suicide as part of Greek culture. Suicide in Graeco-Roman Society. Retrieved on August 3, 2011 from http://maa.missouri.edu/exhibitions/finalfarewell/suicideintro.html Parada, Carlos and Forlag, Maicar (1997). Suicides in Mythology. Suicides. Retrieved on August 4, 2011 from http://www.maicar.com/GML/Suicides.html Quote about suicide (n.d). Suicide Quotes. http://thinkexist.com/quotations/suicide/2.html Retrieved on August 4, 2011 from

FRAULINE C. TADLE 2011-04813 BA POLITICAL SCIENCE