Blindness and Sight - Sight Versus Insight in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)
"Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eye are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light,which is true of the mind's eye, quite as much as the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees anyone whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess light. And he will count the other one happy in his condition and state of being, and he will pity the other"
(Plato, The Republic) …show more content…
With time and circumstances seeming to obscure the prophecy and confirm Oedipus' "vision," Oedipus remains ignorant of his ignorance. In the eyes of his people and of himself, he is the paragon of virtue, a wise and noble king. Oedipus' incomplete knowledge contributes to his hamartia, breeding hubris and leading him to declare, "But I who count myself the child of Chance,/ the giver of good, shall never know dishonor" (1085-1086). Although Oedipus' "hubris [is] directed toward the good of his polis," (Bull, 6) it also gives him the irrational forthrightness that lets him strike out against truth, mistakenly and ironically accusing Tiresias of being "the child of endless night," (379) "blind in [his] ears, [his] reason, and [his] eyes (376).
The accusations of Tiresias motivate Oedipus to seek the truth, and after "his intensive interrogation of three witnesses"
-
Essay on Blindness and Sight - Lack of Vision in Oedipus The King
910 Words | 4 PagesBlindness in Oedipus The King (Rex) What is sight? Is it just the ability to recognize one’s surroundings or is there more? Is it knowledge? Is it understanding? Can a blind man see? Can the sighted be blind? And beyond, when the truth is too terrible, do we choose not to see? The phrase "too see" has so very many connotations. One meaning is to know or to understand and the other is based on the physical aspects of things. As humans, we are distracted by the physical world, which causes us…
-
Oedipus The King, Or Oedipus Rex
1249 Words | 5 Pagesmost famous probably being Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, or Oedipus Rex. For a play to be considered a tragedy, it must have a tragic hero. According to Aristotle’s definition of a tragic hero, they must be a decent moral person, of high social standing who eventually meets with a tragic downfall, of their own doing, suffering more than deserved, and realizing their error too late. In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the epitome of a tragic hero. Oedipus Rex was generally a “good” person; he was…
-
Sight and Blindness in Oedipus the King Essay
1048 Words | 5 PagesThe Irony of Sight and Knowledge in Oedipus the King People equate ‘seeing’ to gaining knowledge. Expressions such as “I see” and “seeing truth” are used to express understanding of something, but is seeing really the same as knowing? In Oedipus the King, Oedipus’s inability to grasp the truth is despite the fact that he is physically able to see contrasts Teiresias’s knowledge of the truth even though he is blind. The irony of the blind man being knowledgeable, and the seer becoming…
-
Blindness and Sight - Lack of Insight in King Lear Essays
1082 Words | 5 PagesBlindness as Lack of Insight in King Lear Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to Shakespeare, blindness is not only a physical impairment, but also a mental flaw some people possess. Shakespeare's most dominant theme in his play King Lear is that of blindness. King Lear, Gloucester, and Albany are three characters through which Shakespeare portrays his theme of mental blindness, that blindness which was the primary cause of their poor…
-
Oedipus Rex: Imagery of Blindness and Sight as a Medium to the Themes
1218 Words | 5 PagesIn the play, Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, an honourable and admirable Greek king named Oedipus rules the town of Thebes. He is left in mental turmoil and decay as his unknown, corrupt and immoral past is slowly revealed during his quest to find the culprit who murdered King Laius. The newly exposed past suddenly transforms his glory and respect into shame and humiliation. After he learns about his wicked past he stabs his eyes, which lead to his blindness. During the course of the play, references…
-
Essay about Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex
730 Words | 3 PagesSight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex is a play about the way we blind ourselves to painful truths that we can’t bear to see. Physical sight and blindness are used throughout the play, often ironically, as a metaphor for mental sight and blindness. The play ends with the hero Oedipus literally blinding himself to avoid seeing the result of his terrible fate. But as the play demonstrates, Oedipus, the man who killed his father and impregnated his mother, has been blind all along…
-
Oedipus Rex: Sight Not Needed For Knowledge Essay
741 Words | 3 Pageswe consider a blind person and a person with eyes, we usually deem the latter to be more knowledgeable. This is because they have the gift of sight and can therefore perceive the world around them and have more knowledge. This assumption is proven wrong in the play Oedipus Rex by the Greek writer Sophocles. The plot is about a baby who is born to the king and queen of Thebes with a terrible prophecy hanging above his head. The oracle of Apollo had predicted that the boy would grow up to kill his…
-
Essay on Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex
1311 Words | 6 PagesIn the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the themes of sight and blindness are developed in a way to communicate to the reader that it is not eyesight itself, but insight that holds the key to truth and, without it, no amount of knowledge can help uncover that truth. Some may define insight as the ability to intuitively know what is going to happen, or simply as the capacity to understand the true nature of a situation. Both definitions hold a significant role in the play, not only for more obvious…
-
Sight And Blindess Of Oedipus The King Essay
1470 Words | 6 PagesOedipus the King by Sophocles was a play written after a devastating plague struck the city of Athens in 430 B.C. The play is about how knowledge can lead to devastation and destruction based on how the characters find out the truth of the Delphic Oracle. Years before Oedipus became the king of Thebes, the previous king, Laius, had received a prophecy that his son would grow up to kill his father. With this information he gave his baby son to a sheperd to dispose of him. Years later Laius is murdered…
-
Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles' Oedipus The King Essay
682 Words | 3 PagesThe Deeper Meaning of Sight and Eyes in Sophocles' Oedipus The King In Sophocles' play, "Oedipus The King," the continuous references to eyes and sight possess a much deeper meaning than the literal message. These allusions are united with several basic underlying themes. The story contains common Ancient Greek philosophies, including those of Plato and Parmenides, which are often discussed and explained during such references. A third notion is the punishment of those who violate the law of…
More about Blindness and Sight - Sight Versus Insight in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)
-
Essay on Blindness and Sight - Lack of Vision in Oedipus The King
910 Words | 4 Pages -
Oedipus The King, Or Oedipus Rex
1249 Words | 5 Pages -
Sight and Blindness in Oedipus the King Essay
1048 Words | 5 Pages -
Blindness and Sight - Lack of Insight in King Lear Essays
1082 Words | 5 Pages -
Oedipus Rex: Imagery of Blindness and Sight as a Medium to the Themes
1218 Words | 5 Pages -
Essay about Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex
730 Words | 3 Pages -
Oedipus Rex: Sight Not Needed For Knowledge Essay
741 Words | 3 Pages -
Essay on Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex
1311 Words | 6 Pages -
Sight And Blindess Of Oedipus The King Essay
1470 Words | 6 Pages -
Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles' Oedipus The King Essay
682 Words | 3 Pages