STATIUS, THEB. 1 .72: IS JOCASTA DEAD OR ALIVE? 235
- from Sen. Oed. (A) he took the method, the destroying fingers re-
placing the pins in OT 1268 and Phoin. 62.
According to this interpretation, in Statius’ 1.72 the highly dramatic
scene would run as follows: after Oedipus has discovered the truth, he
blinds himself; this act is witnessed by Jocasta, who is probably ly-
ing—alive—on their bed. As a variation on the pins in OT (1268f.)
and Phoin. (62), Oedipus in Theb. 1.71 destroys his eyes by pushing
them out of their sockets: digitis cedentibus/ ultro incubui, imitating
Sen. Oed. 962 oculi suam intenti manum ultro insecuntur ... scrutatus
manibus uncis (cf. Theb. 1.82f. cruentis unguibus). After this deed, he
throws his eyeballs upon his miserable mother and leaves them there
(misera ... in matre reliqui).
Such an (implied) scene would suit Statius’ style very well. Not
only does he manage to recall all his models (in five words only), but
he also creates an original setting, improving on the drama in OT
where Jocasta, being dead, fails to witness the blinding of her son, and
on Sen. Oed. where the mother’s suicide on stage is ‘witnessed’ by
her sightless son. Here, the blinding is witnessed by Jocasta, who is
very much alive, and the implied dramatic effect of Oedipus throwing
his eyes on her body is unparallelled, unless we accept—as I have
argued we should—that Oedipus in Phoin. 62 took the pins from Jo-
casta’s garment, as he did in OT. If that is the case, also in Phoin. 62
Jocasta, who reports what had happened, has been an eyewitness of
her son’s act of blinding.
In my opinion, in matre should be taken literally, but I feel reluc-
tant to accept that Jupiter’s picture of the outrageous behaviour of
Oedipus’ sons in cadentes/ calcauere oculos (1.238f.) is likewise real-
istic. Jupiter here rather phrases the sons’ violent and abusive behav-
iour towards their blinded father as an imagined terrible deed to prove
his point, perhaps inspired by Oedipus’ metaphorical insultant tene-
bris (Theb. 1.78). This aggressive metaphor will be echoed by Jo-
casta’s challenge to her son to first kill her before going off to fight
his brother:
haec tibi canities, haec sunt calcanda, nefande,
ub era, perque uterum sonipes hic matris agendus.
(Theb. 11.341f.)
These my white hairs, these breasts, wicked man, you must trample,
this horse you must drive through your mother’s womb. (tr. SB)
