Oedipus Avoiding the Truth With Jocasta

In Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, when Jocasta asks Oedipus about Creon's message, Oedipus provides her with an incomplete version of the truth. He tells Jocasta that Creon and the oracle claim that he (Oedipus) is the murderer of Laius - Jocasta's previous husband and the former king of Thebes. However, Oedipus omits the prophecy part of the message, which states that Laius would be killed by his own son, whom Laius and Jocasta had tried to abandon as a baby in order to avoid the prophecy. Oedipus likely avoids telling his wife the complete truth for a few reasons. First, the full story is unsettling and disturbing, and Oedipus might want to spare Jocasta, his wife and queen, from a potentially distressing or frightening revelation. Second, Oedipus himself has not yet fully confronted his own past, and discussing the prophecy with Jocasta would force him to face the possibility that he might be Laius' murderer and Jocasta's son. Third, Oedipus is angry with Creon and skeptical of the oracle's claims, so he may be downplaying their importance as a way to discredit Creon and maintain control over the situation. By presenting only part of the story, Oedipus is trying to protect himself, his wife, and his reign.