Part of the resistance to testing may be attributed to broader skepticism about COVID-19. But such disbelief is not a necessary pretext for avoidance. Believing in the pandemic makes the implications of a positive test so much more real. Given the deadliness of the disease, testing positive might confront us with our own mortality in ways we would prefer not to face. Testing positive means we could infect others, suggesting collective culpability we might resist and requiring the inconvenience of quarantine and isolation. Our professional and social worlds would be disrupted. In this light, getting tested is no small matter. It is a terrifying confrontation with psychologically devastating ideas. If, earlier, Oedipus resisted the truth, he now pursues it despite the terrible things he might find out. Jocasta’s is the voice of fear in this scenario, desperate to dissuade Oedipus from confirming the truth. Although she has limited lines in the play, Jocasta is a fascinating character. She is not malicious in intent. She discovers the incestuous nature of her marriage on her own and is terrified of the consequences of the knowledge for Oedipus and herself. She seeks to avoid the disruption of the status quo the truth would affect. Her emotional state is resonant with that of those who resist knowing their COVID-19 status. Fearing the severity of the pandemic, they ignore symptoms and the possibility of exposure and avoid getting tested. The consequences of the truth are devastating for Oedipus. Finally knowing all the facts and finding Jocasta’s body, he gouges out his own eyes and begs to be exiled. But in finding out the truth and suffering greatly, he fulfills the requirements for the lifting of the plague communicated to Creon by the oracle: that the murderer of Laius be identified and punished. This is how the epistemological stakes of Oedipus Tyrannos are resolved. A full reckoning with the truth, no matter how painful that may be, was necessary for the plague of Thebes to lift. As an ancient Athenian audience might have seen their own plagued lives reflected on stage, so too may a contemporary American audience recognize themselves in Oedipus and COVID-19 in the Theban plague. Tragedy has long been a tool to explore complex issues and emotions that are difficult to verbalize. In addition, Oedipus Tyrannos provides important insights about epistemological conflicts in a society plagued by disease. I began this essay with the observation that the world seems fascinated by Oedipus for reasons that are somewhat unremarkable within the context of Ancient Greek mythology. In conclusion, I posit that we are drawn to him because he is ordinary in many key ways. It is not only his ascension to the throne, riddle-solving genius, his patricide, or his incest that we find fascinating. We also envision our own struggles in Oedipus. Like him, we too struggle with the truth. The real power behind the story of Oedipus is that he is not special. 50
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