This paper analyzes Muriel Rukeyser's poem "Myth" as a feminist reinterpretation of Sophocles' Oedipus the King. The paper examines how Rukeyser uses the continuation of Oedipus' story — his encounter with the Sphinx after blinding himself — to expose the sexism embedded in the original myth. Key themes include the treatment of women as commodities, the symbolic significance of the Sphinx's riddle, and the argument that Oedipus' failure to distinguish "Man" from "Woman" represents a deeper social blindness. The paper concludes that Rukeyser's poem remains contemporary in its critique of female subordination and sexism.
"Myth" by Muriel Rukeyser is a poem that addresses the issue of sexism embedded in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. The poem begins as a continuation of Oedipus' suffering as a blind man — a condition he brought upon himself after learning that he had killed his father Laius and married his mother Jocasta. Rukeyser uses Oedipus' story as a vehicle for emphasizing the treatment of women in ancient society: as objects of possession, or as commodities to be exchanged.
In Sophocles' famous play, Oedipus' mother Jocasta is clearly portrayed as a woman who has been "handed down" — passed to Oedipus following her husband's death. Oedipus' triumph in Thebes made him the ruler of that kingdom, and Jocasta became his wife as a "reward" for conquering the city. It is precisely this reduction of a woman to a prize that Rukeyser calls into question. As the poem reveals, what followed Oedipus' ascension to kingship and his marriage to Jocasta became his ultimate downfall.
Rukeyser identifies one critical mistake on Oedipus' part in the tragedy that befell him at Thebes: he underestimated the woman who would prove central to his ruin — Jocasta, his own mother. By framing her poem as a sequel to the Sophoclean narrative, Rukeyser makes readers recognize that the "Woman" played the most important and critical role in Oedipus' tragic life. Oedipus blinded himself not only because he killed his own father, but most importantly, because he had made his mother occupy the role of his wife. Rukeyser's treatment of the poem as a derivation of Sophocles' famous play shows how female subordination and sexism were prevalent issues even in antiquity.
"Sphinx corrects Oedipus' conflation of Man and Woman"
Muriel Rukeyser's "Myth" is contemporary in its theme because it tackles the social issues of feminism and sexism, two concerns that remain central to modern society. The poem demonstrates that the problem of sexism and female subordination is not a modern invention but a deeply rooted historical condition. Rukeyser's reinterpretation of the Oedipus myth gives that ancient story renewed urgency, reminding readers that the failure to recognize women as individuals — rather than as commodities or extensions of male identity — carries consequences as devastating today as they were in the world of Greek tragedy.
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