Blindness And Sight In Oedipus The King

After reading the play it is clear that there are few different themes, though the one which will be discussed in this essay is the theme of blindness. Blindness appears in all people; because there is not anyone who can predict his/her future or fate, even if they have the ability to "see’’. they tend avoid "seeing" the truth or trying to understand it clearly and perfectly with a way which the fate had choosen for them, this state can supported with a famous quote;"A blind man knows he cannot see and he that is blind in his understanding, which is the worst blindness of all, believes he sees as the best, and scorns a guide". Throughout the story Oedipus is "blind" by his inability to understand that the prophecy

Oedipus the Blind Blindness in Oedipus the King was used as a symbol of the characters oblivion and naivety to the truth and to Oedipus’s fate. Teiresias was literally blind, but figurately speaking he was the least blind of all. He had the most knowledge and wisdom out of all the characters. Teiresias was a seer meaning he is a knower of all things.

IIn the play, “Oedipus the King” blindness is used throughout the play to symbolize ignorance and knowledge. At the end of the play, after Oedipus realizes what had happened, he cuts his eyes out. Him removing his eyes and losing his sight represents many things including knowledge and ignorance, because he was trying to blind himself from the truth. Blindness also represents ignorance and knowledge when Oedipus was blind to the fact that he had killed his father and married his mother. In this play, blindness is used as a symbol both literally and figuratively.

Oedipus’ pride and a heightened sense of confidence is very conspicuous throughout the play Oedipus Rex. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus accepts the idea that he can avoid the prophecy given to him by the gods. Oedipus is also seen interrogating Creon and attempting to banish him with Tiresias towards the end of the play because they are saying facts corresponding to the prophecy. He tries to become like a god himself by thinking he could control his own fate. Although Oedipus’ pride can be justified by his accomplishments of being king; the tragedy of Oedipus is the pure result of his overwhelming pride because he killed his father, mocked Tiresias, and blinded himself.

More importantly, Oedipus realized that it was his pride that lead him to kill King Laius. Moreover, another example of Oedipus’ hubris is when he accuses Creon of plotting to overthrow him. “Creon, the soul of trust, my loyal friend from the start steals against me...so hungry to overthrow me he sets his wizard on me, this scheming quack, this fortune-teller peddling lies, eyes peeled for his own profit-seer blind in his craft!” (279). To put it differently, Oedipus is saying that Creon wants to steal the throne and he will go as far to consult an oracle to come and deceive Oedipus. This example is of great importance because it is Oedipus’ pride that causes him to accuses Creon of trying to steal his throne.

Creon then tries to warn Oedipus about his condemning, “To slur a good man’s name/With baseless slander is one crime-another/Is rashly to mistake bad men for good./Cast out an honest friend, and you cast out/Your life, your dearest treasure.” [pg42]. As Creon tries to convince him to go about things in a more timely, and sensible way Oedipus hears none of it and still pursues his march of getting to the bottom laying the blame elsewhere all along the way. As Creon and Teriesas both note suggestions to Oedipus’ involvement he still pursues further investigation without the littlest consideration at his own guilt. This lack of foresight, and understanding again is another cause to Oedipus’ self-inflicted downfall. However, there are many factors that contribute his downfall that he could not have prevented and were truly acts of fate and destiny. His self-assurance to his wisdom that was bred by his “mother-wit and not by bird-lore” (as he takes a stab at Teriesas pg 37) really comes to surface during his encounter with a riddling Sphinx. This inflated view of his wisdom later leads to his downfall. But it was only by fate that he ignorant Oedipus was awarded a IQ freebie from the

In 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 to blindness and vision constantly recur, giving the reader an enhanced and more insightful look into the themes of the play. Some themes that are expressed through these references include truth and knowledge, guilt, and freewill versus

With his great knowledge and accomplishment establishing him as a man of insight and honor he is crowned King of Thebes. Oedipus, unwilling to hear or see truth, smites a blind man in the midst of his own ignorance and denial to reality. Teiresias, a blind prophet, is stood before Oedipus to reveal his visions about the identity of the murderer. “PAGE 11/40 TEIRESIAS thou hast not spared To twit me with my blindness--thou hast eyes, Yet see'st not in what misery thou art fallen, Nor where thou dwellest nor with whom for mate. Dost know thy lineage? Nay, thou know'st it not, And all unwitting art a double foe...” Teiresias reveals Oedipus' fate to him. He reveals that Oedipus doesn't know who his true parents are, and is living a doubly bad fate. Oedipus becomes engaged and accusatory of Teiresias at the thought of someone threatening his preconceived reality. “PAGE 10/40 OEDIPUS There is strength where there is truth, but not in you Oedipus. You don't possess this quality, for you are blind in your ears, mind, and eyes.” Oedipus even goes as far as to suggest that Teiresias murdered King Laius. “PAGE 10/40 OEDIPUS Thou methinks thou art he, I think that you are he who planned this crime, and he who even committed it too..” Oedipus, self righteous and pompous, believes that he can do no wrong. His ego is so big that he tears down and slanders

In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses dramatic irony to frustrate the audience and create suspense. After the first chorus, Oedipus vows to avenge the death of King Laius and “become [the] son” that Laius could have had if his life did not end (I.i.681). This scene frustrates the audience because they know Oedipus is the murderer, but he is either completely clueless or in denial. Oedipus’ refusal to accept the truth engages spectators by building the urge to witness the realization of his wrong doings. While Oedipus is speaking to Tiresias the prophet, he accuses the prophet of taking the life of the king. In response, the prophet told Oedipus he is “living in [dark] shame with the closest of [his]

Powerful men are treated differently, their faults hidden from public eye. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Creon illustrates Oedipus’ irrationality and amplifies his losses by providing a foil to his character. Creon’s behavior before and after the revelations of the prophecy with respect to Oedipus reveal the unspoken weaknesses of the king.

Oedipus the King is a play that was written by Sophocles around 430 B.C and was performed during the decline of Athens, shortly after a plague took its course (Kirszner 1466). A main character in this play is Creon who is portrayed as honest, up-front, and even-tempered. Creon is the brother of Oedipus’s wife and practically has all the status of a king, without the stress of ruling. This essay is a character analysis of Creon and how his attributes make him a great ruler.

In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the motif of light assists the reader is visualizing the play’s setting and defining the mood of certain scenes. The first example where the motif of light gives the reader a representation of the current mood in the story is at the beginning of the book when the priest is describing to Oedipus what is occurring because of the plague in Thebes. The priest says to Oedipus, “While poverty-stricken night grows fat on groans and elegies in Hades’ halls” (Sophocles 6). By describing the inevitable night as a physical being, that feeds and grows on the pain of the city, Sophocles does an outstanding job setting up both the setting and mood of the play early on in the plot. The next instance in which motif

swasti sharma Andha yug revived the memories of the second world war in which both sides had collectively rejected the voice of wisdom like Kauravas (Axis)and Pandavas(Allies) in the play. The metaphor of blindness is present throughout the play. The playwright investigates its physical, mental and spiritual manifestations . Dhritrashtra’s blindness encompasses every facet of his reign and symbolizes the failure of all forms of authority and political power. In contrast, throughout the tragedy Oedipus the King, Sophocles frequently referred to sight and used it as a metaphor for insight and knowledge.

Sophocles illustrates Oedipus with an overwhelming amount of hubris, which creates unwanted barriers for this character. After Teiresias tells Oedipus the truth pertaining to who killed Laius, Oedipus argues that he is not a suspect. This argument results in Teiresias quarreling with Oedipus about how he is the “cursed polluter of [the] land”, even though Oedipus’ hubris becomes an obstacle when believing Teiresias (KO 35). In this instance, Oedipus is already being blinded by his hubris and refuses to believe a prophet, who is sent by the gods. He is so used to believing his version of the truth that he is so close-minded when it comes to the actuality of the situation. Additionally, he holds himself on such a high pedestal that he cannot even fathom the thought of killing the previous king. Oedipus creates a barrier for himself when letting his hubris entangle him into the notion that he is correct and the god sent prophet is wrong. Another instance of his hamartia is when Oedipus cannot wrap his head around killing King Laius so instead, he calls Creon and Teiresias traitors. Following this argument amongst Teiresias and Oedipus, Oedipus makes a wild claim about how Creon desires the throne and Teiresias is helping him by getting Creon to “stalk [him] by stealth” and “[dispose] of him” (KO 36). Oedipus is so hell-bent on the notion that he could not have killed Laius, so he makes up a spontaneous assumption about how Creon wants his throne. His hubris causes him to create false situations and attack an ally that could assist him. Sophocles communicates these actions to the audience to help them feel the falsehood of the situation and help proclaim who is in the right.

In the tragedy Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles, King Oedipus was destined to a tragic fate. He was prophesied to kill his father, King Laius and marry his mother, Jocasta. Throughout the story, many symbols reveal hidden meanings related to the ignorance Oedipus displays towards his fate. Sophocles uses Oedipus Rex to convey that ignorance cannot alter fate. The symbols of light versus dark and sight versus blindness help to reinforce this theme.