Significance of Women in Oedipus RexMichael J. O'Brien in the Introduction to Twentieth-Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, argues that there is "much evidence for the support for this hypothesis. According to this view, the fifth-century playwright was the “educator of his people” and a “teacher.” Sophocles, in his tragedy Oedipus Rex, teaches "morally desirable attitudes and behaviors" (4) and uses three women to help him convey these principles of life. This essay will explore the role of women in the drama, the attitude towards women, the involvement of women in the development of the plot and other aspects of women in Oedipus Rex. At the beginning of Oedipus Rex, no female character is present; the reader sees a king coming to the door full of curiosity: “Explain your mood and what you claim. Is it the fear of evil that moves you or a godsend that you dream of? When the priest responded that the people were in despair from the effects of the plague, the king showed sympathy for his subjects: "You are all sick, well, what do I know, but my pain, whatever yours , surpasses everything. » Thomas Van Nortwick in Oedipus: The Meaning of a Man's Life: "We already see in Oedipus supreme self-confidence and ease of command. . . . exudes divine mastery in the eyes of his subjects. . . . » (21-22); such “divine mastery” will lead to his downfall. Critic Ehrenberg warns that this “could lead to hubris” (74-75). Throughout the drama, Sophocles draws out a constant contrast between the “divine mastery” of the king and the gentler, more balanced and selfless characteristics of Jocasta, his wife. She is a foil for Oedipus. Soon after, Creon, Jocasta's brother, returns from the oracle at Delphi with the fateful words of the god's command: "...... middle of paper ...... ichael J. O 'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Segal, Charles Paul. “Sophocles’ Praise of Man and Antigone’s Conflicts.” In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. by F. Storr. no pag.http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi “Sophocles” in Western literature World , edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Van Nortwick, Thomas. Oedipus: the meaning of a masculine life. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. Watling, E.F. Introduction. In Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by EF Watling. New York: books about penguins, 1974.