For centuries women have fought to obtain basic civil rights and today they still struggle to obtain equal rights. From the right to vote to the right to birth control, women have always sought to assert their independence to expand their freedom. While much progress has been made, there is still room for improvement. However, the evolution of women's rights and the role of women is reflected in the literature and can be used to illustrate the progression throughout history. Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is no different. Through the character Jocasta, Sophocles creates a counterpart to Oedipus and uses her to reveal the oppression of women by contrasting her relationships and reactions to the prophecy with those of Oedipus. Throughout the play Oedipus Rex, Sophocles illustrates Jocasta's vulnerability and supportive nature for women to be fragile, loving, and obedient wives and mothers to facilitate the need for self-affirmation. Jocasta's compliance with the demands of the men around her is revealed through her ongoing role as a caring mother, one who provides emotional connections but cannot make decisions. This role encompasses all of the prophecy, all of her life, and all of her roles as Oedipus' mother and then his wife. With the arrival of the prophecy that she and Laios' son would be destined to kill her father and marry her mother, Jocasta had to let her son die to essentially escape the prophecy. A mother's first instinct is typically to protect her child at all costs; however, Jocasta goes against this by actually putting her son in danger to protect her husband. This case shows that the husband seems to be the main target. Every action seems to be at the center of the card...'.” The Explicator 55.4 (1997): 187+. Literary resources from Gale. Network. 22 January 2012. “Oedipus Rex”. Dramaturgy for students. Ed. David Galens and Lynn M. Spampinato. vol. 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. Porter, David H. “Love That Divides: Sophocles' Antigone.” Solo Connect: Three Studies on Greek Tragedy. Lanham, Maryland: University of Press American, 1987. 45-84. Rpt. In the criticism of classical and medieval literature. Ed. Jelena O. Krstovic. vol. 80. Detroit: Gale, 2006. Literature Resource Center. Web 7 March 2012.Sophocles. “Oedipus Rex”. Literature Reading fiction, poetry and drama. Ed. Robert Di Yanni. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2002. 1222-1262. Print.Story, Amy E. “Simone de Beauvoir and Antigone: Feminism and the Conflict Between Ethics and Politics.” Mosaic [Winnipeg] 41.3 (2008): 169+. Literary Resource Center. Network. March 7 2012.