Classical Greece

In the artwork of Classical Greece we don't see husbands and wives together, suggesting that this part of life isn't as important to the people of classical Greece as it has been to other previous cultures. But we do know from Oedipus Rex that marriage was part of life in Classical Greece and there are certain guidelines for what an appropriate marriage is. In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is very distraught when he hears from the oracle that not only will he kill his father but he will also marry his mother. He was determined to make sure that this would not happen so he got as far away from who he thought were his biological parents. When he finds out that he in fact had killed his father and married his mother he was so upset that he gouged his eyes out. This suggest that there were some guidelines to marriage and of these guidelines included not marrying your parents.