Tiresias is not the only character in Oedipus Tyrannos who is burdened by the weight of their knowledge. Later in the play, Jocasta realizes she is both Oedipus’ wife and mother. She, too, wants to shield Oedipus from the truth, attempting to dissuade him from interrogating the herdsman who carried the infant Oedipus away: IOCASTE: Why think of him? Forget this herdsman. Forget it all. This talk is a waste of time. OEDIPUS: How can you say that, when the clues to my true birth are in my hands? IOCASTE: For God’s love, let us have no more questioning! Is your life nothing to you? My own pain is enough for me to bear. OEDIPUS: You need not worry. Suppose my mother a slave, and born of slaves: no baseness can touch you. IOCASTE: Listen to me, I beg you: do not do this thing! OEDIPUS: I will not listen; the truth must be made known. (56-57). Like Tiresias, Jocasta is intent on shielding Oedipus from a truth she knows will destroy him. She begs him to forget about this matter, believing Oedipus pursuit of knowledge to be “fatal” (57) if not physically, then emotionally and spiritually. She knows the devastation of the truth because she herself suffers the hardship of knowing she married her own son. When Oedipus' ignores her advice and sends for the herdsman, her singular exclamation conveys the extent to which she knows Oedipus will suffer: “miserable!” (57). These are the last words Oedipus and the audience hear from her. She leaves the stage and takes her own life. Jocasta would rather keep Oedipus ignorant for fear of his devastation. Yet, in order for the plague to be lifted, the truth must be confronted. Oedipus’ appeal to the herdsman can therefore be seen as an act of courage. He resolutely pursues the truth, even if doing so will confirm the worst of his suspicions. Jocasta’s resistance to this pursuit is resonant with the tendency that has afflicted the United States during the era of COVID-19: testing-avoidance. By medical consensus, widespread and consistent testing is one of the best diagnostic measures available to monitor, record, and respond to COVID-19. Early in the pandemic, testing infrastructure was lacking. However, as Michael Osterholm, the director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, explains, “[T]he problem […] morphed from inadequate testing capacity to inadequate numbers of people agreeing to be tested” (Rubin 2015). Even as the pandemic surged, Americans were hesitant. In October of 2020, infections surged in 30 states, and yet only 21 of those states maintained or increased the rate of testing (Chiwaya, et al.). 49
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