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 Antigone’s

death and Eurydice, Creon’s wife, due to her son’s 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 one’s 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 Jocasta’s 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, Antigone’s 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, Jocasta’s 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. Retrieved on August 4, 2011 from

http://thinkexist.com/quotations/suicide/2.html

FRAULINE C. TADLE

2011-04813

BA POLITICAL SCIENCE