228 JOHANNES J.L. SMOLENAARS
brooch (Trach. 924 πέπλον ᾧ χρυσήλατος προὔκειτο μαστῶν περονίς)
and eight times in Euripides, only in our passage of a brooch. Mastro-
narde argues that similar expressions may genuinely occur without
specific imitation or allusion because of the ‘formulaic’ language and
style of tragedy, but in this case I think the use of the rare phrase
“brooches of beaten gold” (only here in Euripides and twice in Sopho-
cles) in exactly the same highly dramatic context, viz. Oedipus blind-
ing himself, cannot be mere coincidence; it is rather a deliberate at-
tempt by Euripides to link Jocasta’s account with the messenger’s in
OT, whether or not this is recognised by an average reader. If ac-
knowledged, the reference answers our question where Oedipus took
the brooches from: as in OT from his wife’ and mother’s dress.^18
Where else would he have found “brooches of beaten gold”, that is of
royal possessions, all of a sudden in this moment of despair? From her
jewellery box, other ladies’ garments? At the same time we are forced
to understand and appreciate the huge difference between these two
scenes: in Sophocles, Jocasta is dead at this point (version A); in Eu-
ripides she is alive (version B). Euripides’ deliberate reference to
Sophocles’ brooches provides the key to understanding the gruesome
truth in Jocasta’s story: as in Sophocles, she was present, but here she
was alive and a witness of her son and husband blinding himself with
the brooches he took from her raiment. I will come back to this Eurip-
idean passage below, since it will prove to be the only parallel for
Theb. 1.72.
Like—probably—Euripides, Seneca also adapted both versions (A)
and (B) for the stage. Since Seneca’s Phoen. (B) breaks off just before
the fighting starts, we cannot know how exactly Jocasta dies, but it is
a fair guess that her suicide, if in the play, will have been similar to
that in Euripides’ Phoin. and Statius’ Theb.11, that is either at the
beginning of the battle or after the death of her sons.
In his Oedipus Seneca adapts version (A): Jocasta kills herself
shortly after the anagnorisis (1024–39). The timing is the same as in
OT 1237ff., but the order of events in Sophocles (Jocasta’s suicide/
Oedipus’ blinding) is reversed. This slight variation, however, allows
for an original and spectacular scene. In Oed. 915–79 we listen to the
18 So I agree with Zieliński’s claim (1925, 32) that the fibulae reflect the version in
OT, but I cannot accept that Euripides here carelessly combined inconsistent sources.
I owe this reference to Mastronarde, whose objection to Zieliński is on different
grounds.