In plays, Oedipus the King and The Tragedy of Macbeth, the role of wives, Jocasta and Lady Macbeth, prove that women are not just fragile human beings who make no impact. Both wives represent strong character by their influence on their husbands, Oedipus and Macbeth. Neither Jocasta nor Lady Macbeth acts as mirrors, meaning they both do not follow their husbands around, copying every move they make. Also both wives do not serve as obstacles as their roles have a major effect on their husbands. Jocasta acts as a compliment to the protagonist, Oedipus, staying by his side, consoling him in the time of need. Contrarily, Lady Macbeth acts as an instigator, pushing Macbeth to do things. Both wives play an essential role in their husbands' lives,…show more content… When Jocasta figures out the prophecy before Oedipus, she pleads with him “…if you care for your own life,/Don’t seek it! I am sick, and that’s enough!” (Sophocles 40), trying to protect him from figuring out the unfortunate truth. Jocasta is a mother figure for Oedipus, which is ironic because in actuality, Jocasta is Oedipus' mother. Like a mother, Jocasta tries to calm down Oedipus when he threatens, “Evil, in evil, he may pine and die” (12). His ignorance for finding the truth is excessive. Hiding the truth from her husband, Jocasta presents one of the themes of the play, ignorance is bliss. She thinks that there will be nothing to worry about if Oedipus does not know the truth. Also Jocasta tries to cool Oedipus down when he is trying to seek King Laius’s murderer. She tells him to stop dwelling on finding King Laius’s murderer and to find his own identity. When Oedipus listens to the prophecies Jocasta tries to calm him down and convince to him that they are not truthful. She says, “Listen and learn, nothing in human life/Turns on the soothsayer’s art” (28), to Oedipus as he believes the prophecies. She is telling him that no one can accurately give a prophecy. Sophocles characterizes Jocasta as considerate; therefore using her as a compliment to Oedipus, always thinking in best interest of her husband. She compliments Oedipus because he is weak at this point and needs…show more content… In the time period of which Oedipus the King and The Tragedy of Macbeth were set in, men were superior to woman and woman were seen as worthless. In drama, the worthless woman image disappears and influential characters such as Jocasta and Lady Macbeth present themselves. The roles of women in drama influence the action of the protagonist. Jocasta affects the action of Oedipus by stopping him from killing others for the truth. To differ, Lady Macbeth affects the action of Oedipus by pushing Macbeth to murder King Duncan. Regardless the negative versus the positive aspect of the influence, women’s impact on men shows. The influence of both wives furthers the development of the plot and changes the outcomes of the