The English tragedy
Jocastawas first performed during the Christmas revels in 1566 at Gray’s Inn. The play is based on Euripides’ tragedy
The Phoenecian Women(
Phonessiae), which focuses on the sufferings of Antigone and Jocasta as a result of a civil war between the brothers Polynices and Eteocles. The play also addresses the question of obedience to a tyrant and the nature of political rebellion. In its late-Tudor English context it further explores the topic of the role of women in politics. The English authors, George Gascoigne and Francis Kinwelmershe, base their text on Ludovico Dolce’s Senecan imitation of Euripides’ tragedy. Dolce’s version of
Phoenissaeis called
Giocasta, and it is based on a Latin translation of the Greek text, which was published at Basel by R.…
1195 words
Citation: Ward, Allyna. "Jocasta". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 February 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4314, accessed 21 November 2024.]
