blindness in oedipus the king essay

Oedipus and Blindness in “Oedipus Rex” Essay

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In the play, Oedipus Rex, blindness and vision are opposing symbols. They are also both two-fold, that is they are sort of like a double-entendre in that they have both tangible and intangible symbols. In fact, it occurs all through the play in one way or another. There are those parts that have to do with the blind prophet, Teiresias, and those which refer to the blind Oedipus after he put out his own eyes. Then there are those places where the blindness is symbolic and not real at all, but really far more serious than the real blindness. In fact, this play seems to be all about the opposing forces of vision and blindness, real and symbolic.

Almost every time sight or blindness is mentioned it carries both meanings. In fact, they often occur in pairs, showing the audience the difference between wisdom or vision and blindness or ignorance. This is the first time in the play where either is mentioned, and sleeping and blind is contrasted with seeking and finding, “In this land, said the god; “who seeks shall find; / Who sits with folded hands or sleeps is blind.” (line 140) The line is made complete at the end of this part, (line 354-5) “Teiresias; he of all men best might guide / A searcher of this matter to the light.” It is just after this, that Oedipus says that he does not understand why the prophet does not attend since he has been sent for twice. Of course, we find out that he does not want to talk to Oedipus, since he knows that the source of the pestilence is the king.

Finally, Tieresius arrives, and Oedipus greets him, “Teiresias, seer who comprehendest all,/Lore of the wise and hidden mysteries,/High things of heaven and low things of the earth,/Thou knowest, though thy blinded eyes see naught” (line 380-83) Oedipus keeps at Tierasius, even accusing him of conspiring with Creon, Oedipus’ friend, until he finally speaks in anger, “since thou hast not spared/To twit me with my blindness–thou hast eyes,/Yet she’s not in what misery thou art fallen,/Nor where thou dwellest nor with whom for a mate.”(544-7) He goes on to say that Oedipus will see what horrible things he has done, and end his days as a blind wanderer. (lines 548-562) Again, this is a kind of blindness for Oedipus, because he does not believe the seer. Before he leaves, once more Tierasius says that Oedipus is blind, even though he sees and prophesies that he will become a blind wanderer. “For blind of seeing, clad in beggar’s weeds,/For purple robes, and leaning on his staff,/To a strange land he soon shall grope his way./And of the children, inmates of his home,/He shall be proved the brother and the sire,/Of her who bare him son and husband both,” (line 603-8).

During the part for the chorus this is mentioned again as they pray to Apollo, “But that a mortal seer knows more than I know–where Hath this been proven? / Or how without sign assured, / can I blame Him who saved our State when the winged songstress came,/Tested and tried in the light of us all like gold assayed? (line 661-6)They ask how they can know the truth when all they have seen is that Oedipus saved their country from the Sphinx. When Creon enters he asks, “Were not his wits and vision all astray/ When upon me he fixed this monstrous charge?” The chorus answers, “I know not; / to my sovereign’s acts I am blind” (691-3). They are talking here simply of spiritual or intellectual blindness, and claim innocence, saying they saw nothing. Creon argues his case and on lines 811-13 he points out that Oedipus is making rash charges without proof, another kind of emotional blindness. “But O condemn me not, without appeal,/ On bare suspicion. ‘Tis not right to adjudge/ Bad men at random good, or good men bad.”

Jocasta comes out to see them quarreling, and says they should not do this in front of the whole city, telling her brother to go home and her husband to go inside. After Creon leaves, still angry for being accused of conspiracy with the seer, Tierasius, and Jocasta stays to reassure Oedipus, the audience begins to “see” that this mystery is about to be resolved and that Oedipus is guilty. Jocasta also begins to fear the truth she suspects, that Oedipus might be her son. Oedipus questions her, “’Tis a dread presentiment/ That in the end, the seer will prove not blind./One further question to resolve my doubt.” (line 1040-2). They exit and once more the chorus pray for vision or wisdom, asking for vision from Zeus (line 1225-7).

In the following 300 lines, a visitor arrives to tell Oedipus of the death of his father, Polybus, hoping he will return home to rule. But Oedipus is still afraid because his mother lives and the oracle had foretold also that he would wed his mother and have children by her. So the visitor reveals that Polybus adopted him as a foundling and that it was he, himself who gave the child with his feet riveted together. He says the child was given to him by a shepherd he assumed was from Laius’s house. At this Jocasta becomes almost overcome with fear, because she knows what Laius did with the child. Oedipus says he must know and sends for the shepherd.

When the shepherd arrives, he is questioned and finally reveals that he took the child from Jocasta, and it was believed that it was her son from Laius. He was supposed to leave the baby exposed, but he pitied the child and figured he could give it to the shepherd from a distant land instead. He did not know the curse which was laid upon the child, so his act was one of simple kindness and pity for an unwanted child. When Oedipus realizes that he is, indeed, that child, then he suddenly “sees” the truth. “Ah me! ah me! all brought to pass, all true!/ O light, may I behold thee nevermore!/ I stand a wretch, in birth, in wedlock cursed,/ A parricide, incestuously, triply cursed!” ( line 1675-8).

Another messenger arrives to tell of the death of Jocasta and describe how the king found her and used her dressing pins to put out his own eyes. The messenger repeats what Oedipus said as he describes the horrible sight. “No more shall ye behold such sights of woe,/Deeds I have suffered and myself have wrought;/Henceforward quenched in darkness shall ye see/Those ye should ne’er have seen; now blind to those /Whom, when I saw, I vainly yearned to know” (line 1784-8). So now we clearly understand that Oedipus finally sees with wisdom that he was wrong and he has blinded himself so he will never see what he has done and what has been done to him. The sight here is both real and figurative.

When finally the audience again sees Oedipus, he is blind and says that he did it by his own hand and he has come to his prophesied end. “An end to dread to tell, too dark to see.” The chorus questions him about why he has done such a thing and Oedipus tells them,” Ah friend, still loyal, constant still and kind,/Thou carest for the blind./I know thee near, and though bereft of eyes, Thy voice I recognize.” The chorus replies, “O doer of dread deeds, how couldst thou mar/Thy vision thus? What demon goaded thee?” Then Oedipus replies, ”Apollo, friend, Apollo, he was/ That brought these ills to pass; But the right hand that dealt the blow /Was mine, none other. How/

How, could I longer see when sight/ Brought no delight?” He is still blaming the god, though he says he blinded himself, he blames the god for ordaining the cause. He still sees no fault in his arrogance and pride.

In lines 1893-1920, the chorus asks if Oedipus would not have been better off dead than living blind and we get all kinds of symbolic uses of sight and blindness as Oedipus replies that he could not bear to look upon his father or mother in the shade, and cannot bear to look upon the beauty of Thebes nor the faces of those whom he has so damaged by his presence and his sins, killing his father and marrying his mother, begetting children he cannot look in the face because they are cursed through him. He is condemned by his own words to death or banishment.

At the end of this play, Creon returns and brings with him the two daughters, Antigone and Ismene, who are led in to see their father before he goes into exile. He apologizes to them for what he has done, “Hands of a man who blindly, recklessly,/Became your sire by her from whom he sprang. He has begged Creon to care for them” (2033-4). He touches them and laments their fate, knowing that no man will want to marry them, because of their lineage. He says his sons can make their own way as men but begs Creon to care for his daughters since they are destined to be without a parent or spouse to provide for them. It is probable that orphan women who cannot marry become either slaves or prostitutes, and Oedipus cannot bear the thought of his daughters living like this.

Creon urges him to go inside, but Oedipus says he must be taken away to a desert and be banished from Thebes. Creon says it is for the god to declare this and sends Oedipus inside, declaring that this willfulness is what got him into such a horrible fix, that he needs to understand that this need to be master is what brought his downfall. Then Creon makes a final speech to all Thebans to pity their former king, “Who of all our townsmen gazed not on his fame with envious eyes?/ Now, in what a sea of troubles sunk and overwhelmed he lies!”(2096-7).

So we see the play has come full circle and the blind seers prophesy has come to pass, along with the predictions of both oracles. Oedipus was blinded by his pride and led into the actions which brought his sins upon him. He was too prideful to ask the oracle to explain the prediction. Then he was too prideful to let Laius pass. He killed his father, not knowing who he was, and being blinded once more by pride. He accused the seer and Creon falsely because he had not the wisdom to know that the oracle spoke the truth. He was so full of himself after solving the riddle of the sphinx that he failed to consider that if he married at all, it was possible to fulfill the oracle’s dire predictions. He just did not “see” the possibilities. He probably could not understand why the god would punish him so. Finally, he understood the horror, and then blinded himself, fulfilling the prophecy of Tierasius. However, even at the end of the play, he has to be reminded by Creon that his pride is blinding, and has brought all these things to pass.

Sophocles, 2008, Oedipus Rex , f. Storr translator, The Internet Classics Archive. Web.

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Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King

This essay about Sophocles’ “Oedipus Rex” explores the profound symbolism of sight and blindness in the play. It delves into how the motif represents knowledge and ignorance, driving the tragic journey of Oedipus from clarity to enlightenment. Through characters like Tiresias and Oedipus’s self-blinding, Sophocles juxtaposes physical sight with inner insight, highlighting the complexities of understanding and perception. The theme prompts reflection on human limitations and the nature of truth, enriching the narrative’s exploration of fate, knowledge, and suffering. Ultimately, the essay invites audiences to consider their own perceptions and the ways in which they might be blind to the truths around them.

How it works

The motif of sight and blindness carries profound symbolic weight in Sophocles’ tragedy “Oedipus Rex.” Throughout the play, the theme of vision not only drives the dramatic irony that is central to the tragic experience but also serves as a powerful metaphor for knowledge and ignorance. Exploring this theme provides a deeper understanding of the play’s moral and psychological complexities, as well as Oedipus’s catastrophic journey from ignorance to enlightenment.

Oedipus, whose name itself might be seen as a pun on the Greek words for “know” (oida) and “feet” (pous), ironically suggests the idea of “knowing where one steps.

” This idea plays a significant role in the narrative, contrasting with Oedipus’s actual knowledge about his origins and fate. At the play’s start, Oedipus is celebrated as a discerning hero who solved the riddle of the Sphinx—his keen insight once saved Thebes. However, this initial portrayal of Oedipus as a figure of clear sightedness is sharply contrasted by his metaphorical blindness to his own circumstances.

Sophocles uses the character of Tiresias, the blind prophet, to juxtapose physical blindness with inner sight. Tiresias, despite his lack of physical vision, sees the truth of Oedipus’s situation clearly. When Tiresias and Oedipus confront each other, it becomes evident that Oedipus’s metaphorical blindness is a barrier to his understanding. Tiresias tells Oedipus, “You with your precious eyes, you’re blind to the corruption of your life.” This statement not only highlights Oedipus’s inability to see the truth but also foreshadows the physical blindness that he will later inflict upon himself.

Oedipus’s self-blinding at the climax of the play is a deeply symbolic act. After discovering that he has indeed killed his father and married his mother, fulfilling the horrific prophecy he tried so desperately to avoid, Oedipus takes the brooches from Jocasta’s dress and gouges out his eyes. This act of self-mutilation can be interpreted in several ways. On one level, it is a punishment he imposes on himself, a physical manifestation of his spiritual blindness. On another, it represents his transition from ignorance to knowledge, signifying that true insight does not depend on physical vision.

The act of blinding himself can also be seen as Oedipus’s attempt to withdraw from a world that has become intolerable. By blinding himself, Oedipus literally and metaphorically refuses to see the pain and suffering his revelations have caused. This final transformation from sight to blindness completes his identity as a tragic hero—Oedipus is enlightened intellectually and morally but at the cost of his sight and the life he knew.

Moreover, the theme of eyes and sight in “Oedipus Rex” also reflects broader questions about the nature of understanding and perception. The play prompts the audience to consider how one’s perspective can be clouded by assumptions and desires, and how truth is often perceived through a personal lens, distorted by human flaws and emotions. Sophocles suggests that the vision required to perceive truth involves more than physical sight; it requires deep introspection and the courage to confront painful realities.

In conclusion, the symbolism of sight and blindness in “Oedipus Rex” serves as a powerful narrative device to enhance the tragedy’s exploration of fate, knowledge, and human suffering. Oedipus’s journey from sight to blindness mirrors his passage from ignorance to knowledge, making him a quintessential tragic figure whose recognition of truth comes too late to avoid disaster. This theme resonates with the audience’s understanding of vision, both literal and metaphorical, challenging us to consider our own perceptions and the ways in which we might be blind to the truths around us. Thus, Sophocles not only crafts a narrative about the limitations of human understanding but also invites reflection on the nature of perception itself.

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Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles' Oedipus The King. (2024, May 01). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/blindness-sight-and-eyes-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king/

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles' Oedipus The King . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/blindness-sight-and-eyes-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king/ [Accessed: 8 Sep. 2024]

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles' Oedipus The King . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/blindness-sight-and-eyes-in-sophocles-oedipus-the-king/ [Accessed: 8-Sep-2024]

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Oedipus Rex

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When Oedipus publicly declares his intention to solve the mystery of King Laius's murder, he says, "I'll start again—I'll bring it all to light myself." Oedipus's vision and intelligence have made him a great king of Thebes—he solved the riddle of the Sphinx and revitalized the city. But he is blind to the truth about his own life. It takes the blind prophet, Tiresias , to point out his ignorance and to plant the first seeds of doubt in Oedipus's mind. When Oedipus mocks Tiresias's blindness, Tiresias predicts that Oedipus himself will soon be blind. And indeed, when Oedipus learns the full story—that he has killed his father and married his mother—he gouges out his eyes. He learns the nature of fate and the power of the gods, but at a great cost. And though he is blinded, he has learned to see something he could not see before.

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The Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King

In literature, novelists, playwrights, and dramatists use various literary elements to explain their work. Blindness is explored in depth in Sophocles' Oedipus. People can be physically blind, where they cannot see their surroundings; on the other hand, people can have physical sight but be blind to the future or the spiritual authorities around them.

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This article aims to demonstrate how sophocles uses the concept of hand (in greek χείρ, pronounced khe–r) and other body parts thematically throughout Oedipus Rex (OT ) and how this merges into oedipus’ investigation of the murder he committed himself. To illustrate the effect of this theme on the original audience’s experience of the drama, i substantiate my study with modern cognitive theories of memory, lexical salience and priming effect. Thus i hope to show how sophocles consciously plays with the spectator’s mind throughout the performance, in order to make way for a new imagery, hands, within the story of oedipus. iMagery rooted in the huMan body is quite frequently employed in attic tragedy and in sophocles in particular, although there is still no systematic study of this figurative element. This article is a small attempt to show how fascinating sophocles’ thematic use of individual body parts is. it goes without saying that the foot (πούς, ποδ-, ποσ-) in OT is a frequentl...

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AN OEDIPUS - The Untold Story. A ghostly mythodrama in one act. A play by Armando Nascimento Rosa

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From the book back cover: With An Oedipus – The Untold Story: A Ghostly Mythodrama in One Act, Armando Nascimento Rosa brings a 2.500 year old tale into the 21st century. Taking on millennia of literary tradition and a century of psychoanalytic theory, Rosa casts Oedipus, the legendary ill-fated Theban king whose name Sigmund Freud turned into a household word, in a bold, new light that challenges and provokes even as it entertains with a satyrical touch. Ghosts, spirit possessions, shamanism, and psychology come together in a dizzying array that subjects readers and viewers of the play alike to a very peculiar Gnostic experience. Where Freud made incest the defining feature of the Oedipus complex, Nascimento Rosa, inspired by C. G. Jung, looks beyond the complex to its archetypal roots. Probing deeper into the tragic hero’s family history, the Portuguese playwright finds the source of the doomed man’s fate in the now-forgotten crime of his father, Laius, namely, Laius’s abduction (and sexual assault) of Pelops’s young son, Chrysippus, long before Oedipus was born. The play unfolds in the manner of a psychotherapy session in which repressed memories are brought to consciousness and deep, dark secrets are revealed. Following James Hillman and others, Rosa sees the Oedipus complex as part of a broader matrix of complexes, one that includes the less-well-known “Laius complex” – the desire of fathers to kill their sons pre-emptively for fear of being upstaged by them. Pushing off the literalism of his characters (and of Freud), Rosa seeks to uncover the archetypal dimensions of the tragedy, drawing readers and viewers of the the play to a less literal, more imaginal understanding of human passions and desires. Published and staged in Portugal, in 2003 (Lisbon, Teatro da Comuna, directed by Miguel Loureiro), in its original version in Portuguese, this is the first-ever publication (2006) of the English translation of An Oedipus (translated by Luis Toledo, revised by Michael Mendis in collaboration with the author), which premiered in UK, in 2006 (London, Queen Anne Court, The University of Greenwich, directed by Pippa Guard) . The text of the play is framed by a Foreword by Susan Rowland (at the time, Reader in English and Jungian Studies, at the University of Greenwich, UK; now Chair of the Engaged Humanities and the Creative Life MA, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, California, USA), an afterword by Rosa himself, and two critical essays, one by Marvin Carlson (Distinguished Professor, The City University of New York Graduate Center, NY, USA), the other by Christine Downing (Professor. Mythological Studies Doctoral Program, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Santa Barbara, California, USA).

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This paper examines Seneca’s Oedipus as a reader both of poetry and of himself. I argue that Seneca presents prophecy (233-38; 626-58) and extispicy (293-399) as poetic texts which demand interpretation and which Oedipus repeatedly fails to comprehend. The tragedy overall emphasizes the gap between the protagonist’s assumed knowledge and the audience’s. As a result, it belittles Oedipus’ authoritarian attitude and creates a sustained joke at his expense. Although Seneca’s Oedipus is a paranoid ruler bent on enforcing his version of events, he himself ends up being the object of others’ analysis. Over the course of the play, Oedipus is reduced to a set of signs that Seneca invites the audience to decode. The playwright also uses the binary dubius / certus to illustrate Oedipus’ increasing lack of political and analytical control. In the end, Oedipus is subject to the audience’s superior interpretive power.

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Oedipus the King

Table of contents.

Tiresias says to Oedipus, “Creon is not your downfall, no, you are your own.” What is the extent of Oedipus’ guilt in his own downfall?

• “Oedipus the King demonstrates that the quest for truth only leads to self-destruction.” Discuss.
• What does the play have to say about fate and free will?
• “The play is about Oedipus’ search for his identity.” Discuss.
• “What should a man fear? It’s all about chance, / chance rules our lives.” Discuss Jocasta’s philosophy about life.
• Discuss the dual role of the Chorus.
• What do the choral odes have to say about the relationship between humans and the gods?
• What are Oedipus’ feelings about family?
• Evidence Bank

Oedipus the King is a classic Greek tragedy by Sophocles about the downfall of Oedipus, a heroic yet ill-fated character who was prophesied to slay his father and marry his mother. Oedipus finds himself caught in a dilemma between his determination to unwind the tangled threads of his history, or avoid undermining everything he knows about his life. The premise of the ancient play reminds audiences of the cruel nature of fate and the importance of making good decisions. Yet Oedipus himself is a complex character who does his best to exercise free choice within the restraints of his fate, which lends itself to the argument surrounding the extent of his guilt in his eventual downfall. To a large extent, Oedipus is responsible for his horrible actions that drive him to fulfil the prophecy given to him at birth, such as his violent nature which drives him to slay his father, as well as his incessant drive to seek the truth about himself. Yet as the ancient Greeks would have it, despite taking extensive manoeuvres to avoid his terrible future, Oedipus may have been a prisoner of his own fate and thus remain guiltless.

Oedipus the King, a timeless Greek tragedy penned by Sophocles, unfolds the tragic descent of Oedipus, a heroic figure ensnared in the ominous prophecy of patricide and matrimony with his mother/incest. Confronted with the formidable choice between unraveling the intricacies of his lineage and preserving the foundation of his perceived reality, Oedipus grapples with a profound dilemma. The narrative serves as a poignant reminder of the inexorable cruelty of destiny and the consequential significance of judicious decision-making.Oedipus, a character of intricate depth, endeavors to wield volition amidst the constricting threads of his foretold destiny, thereby fueling debates about the degree of culpability in his eventual downfall. While Oedipus bears considerable responsibility for the grievous deeds that propel him toward the fulfillment of his preordained fate—such as his proclivity for violence leading to the slaying of his parents—he also exhibits an unwavering determination to unveil the veracity of his existence.Yet, adhering to the ancient Greek ethos, Oedipus, despite his concerted efforts to circumvent the ominous prophecy, remains ensnared in the inexorable web of fate, prompting contemplation about his potential innocence. In essence, Oedipus, despite his extensive manoeuvres to avert a calamitous destiny, emerges as a captive of his predetermined path, thereby challenging conventional notions of guilt and culpability.

Oedipus’ violent and aggressive nature, as shown by his various impulsive actions, can be said to be a defining factor which led him to the actions of his downfall. Even considering the audience’s knowledge of his horrible fate, there is no question that his nature lends itself to his questionable actions. For example, Oedipus testifies to Jocasta that the man he killed, Laius, was “accompanied by a herald”, thus announcing to the world that he was a king. Yet Oedipus, despite having been raised as royalty himself, does not hold himself back in the slaughter of Laius, the herald, and multiple others. This can be interpreted in several ways: either his impulsivity and pride led him to rashly kill Laius and his followers, thus cementing his guilt in his own fate, or that the threads of fate led him to make that decision in that moment. Either way, there is little doubt that it was simply part of Oedipus’ nature, as there is little other justification for his violent actions. In a similar way, his dogged determination to uncover the truth of his past turns him hostile and abusive, revealing his hubris; when Tiresias does tell him the truth about what he seeks, he does not listen as he is consumed by paranoia. His aberrant character flaws are thus determinant of his guilt in his own downfall.

Oedipus’ propensity for violence and aggression, manifested through impulsive actions, emerges as a pivotal factor contributing to his eventual downfall. Despite the audience’s awareness of his inexorable fate, there is an unequivocal acknowledgment that his inherent nature propels him towards morally ambiguous deeds. Notably, Oedipus, while recounting to Jocasta the slaying of Laius, explicitly highlights the regal stature of his victim, accompanied by a herald. Paradoxically, even though Oedipus himself was nurtured in royal surroundings, he fails to restrain his carnage, perpetrating the ruthless murder of Laius, the herald, and others. This dichotomy invites interpretations that either his impetuosity and pride precipitated the hasty annihilation, cementing his culpability in his tragic destiny, or that the inexorable threads of fate coerced him into that fateful decision.Moreover, Oedipus’ unwavering commitment to unraveling the truth of his origins transforms him into a hostile and abusive figure, laying bare the depths of his hubris. When Tiresias imparts the veracious revelation he seeks, Oedipus, ensnared by paranoia, remains deaf to reason. His anomalous character flaws thus serve as decisive elements substantiating his complicity in the tragic unraveling of his own fate.

In addition to his violent nature, Oedipus’ incessant seeking of the truth also leads him to his downfall. As the play opens, the audience learns that Oedipus is at the height of his success, as he had already become a great ruler of Thebes, revered by many for “defeating the Sphinx”. This only lends itself to demonstrate the great downfall that he will face at the hands of his own curiosity. Later, when Jocasta tells the tale of Laius’ death to Oedipus, he begins to doubt himself, in that he is indeed the murderer he is seeking. However, despite understanding the consequences, this does nothing to stop the momentum of his investigation. Oedipus refuses to consider Jocasta’s advice that he “live at random, best we can” and according to chance. Instead, he is so fixated on getting to the bottom of the truth by calling for the old shepherd who saved him when he was a baby. Oedipus is aware of the consequences, that “if he refers to one man, one alone, / clearly the scales come down on me: / I am guilty”. Even as the shepherd, like Tiresias, demonstrates reluctance to tell Oedipus what he knows, he insists that the truth must come out. Moreover, when Jocasta collapses in despair, Oedipus remains fervent in his determination to discover his true identity, proclaiming that “I must know it all, / must see the truth at last”. In the end, it is this unwavering confidence and determination for the truth that ultimately leads him to his downfall.

However, despite these interpretations, it can also be said that Oedipus was merely a prisoner of his own fate, indicating that all the questionable actions he took were merely part of his destiny, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it. Through this interpretation, Oedipus is guiltless as there was no way to avoid his fate. Many attempts to avoid Oedipus’ tragic fate appear in the play, yet he still fulfilled it regardless. Jocasta and Laius cast him out as a mere infant; Oedipus exiles himself from his adopted parents in fear that ill would befall them (and not his birth parents). Yet it is fate that drives him towards Thebes and to the crossroads where he slew Laius, where there was no reason to kill Laius, but he was driven to do so anyway. Fate rewards him cruelly with Jocasta as a wife after besting the Sphinx. Lastly, fate drives him to pursue the truth of his past, driving home the final punishment of exile and blindness set by himself. There appeared the illusion of free will in his choices, but Oedipus was ultimately driven to make horrible choices which resulted in the fulfillment of the prophecy. Hence, Sophocles presents the cruel reality that even though characters may take extensive manoeuvres to avoid committing the crimes of their fate, they will be compelled to commit abhorrent acts in order to fulfill their destinies.

Overall, Oedipus himself is a complex character: the extent of his guilt depends on how much the audience places value on his personal choices or the prison of his fate. It is true that his nature lends itself to the interpretation of his own guilt in his actions. However, given the context of ancient Greece where individuals were commonly understood to be prisoner of their own fate, there may have been no way for him to avoid the consequences. Hence, while Oedipus was ill-fated from birth, Sophocles aimed to imbue audiences with the moral that one’s choices are highly important to the outcome of their lives.

“ Oedipus the King demonstrates that the quest for truth only leads to self-destruction. ” Discuss.

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Sophocles — The Concept Of Willful Blindness In Oedipus The King

The Concept of Willful Blindness in Oedipus The King

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Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King

Sight and blindness, light and darkness alan razcon 12th grade.

The only ones who can truly see are the blind, this is a popular theme throughout society, especially in Oedipus Rex where Sophocles nurtures the idea that real sight does not require eyes but the ability to better understand the surface of things. According to Sophocles, one must not only be able to see something, but one must also be able to understand it. Teiresias, the only blind person, is the only one that throughout the play can actually see what is happening and will happen. Oedipus himself only truly achieves this state of knowledge after he blinds himself with his mother’s/wife’s broach. Light and darkness (sight and blindness) takes on three different forms throughout the play, the first form refers to knowledge, the second to physical light and the third to truth; the three forms are used in many ways and they occasionally refer to multiple interpretations at the same time.

The first form of light and darkness is knowledge; this is the representation of the characters ability to see beyond the surface of things and to truly understand them. The very first example of this is spoken by Oedipus at the beginning of the play when he says, “I must bring what is dark to light” referring to the mysterious death of laius....

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Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King

The play Oedipus the King opens with the people supplicating before the palace of due to plague, showing the theme of blindness in Oedipus.

Introduction to Theme of Blindness in Oedipus

Table of Contents

The play Oedipus the King opens with the people supplicating before the palace of King Oedipus due to the plague, which was ruining the city, showing the theme of blindness in Oedipus. The story of the search which started with Oedipus to find out the culprit who killed the previous king Laius unraveled several mysteries for him in that he left this and started looking for his own parents which culminated in a circuitous way finding himself as the culprit. His journey for the search of the murdered took a full circle and he came to the place from where he started. In a way, this play is a search for the self that Oedipus finds in himself after having full circle but has been blind to this until he does not start this search. The play, in fact, shows that the blinders are seers while the seers are blind to the realities. Not only Oedipus is blind spiritually and physically, but Chorus is also blind to the realities of life staring in their faces, adding to further to the theme of blindness in Oedipus.

Blindness of Tiresias and Theme of Blindness in Oedipus

 Although Tiresias is a blind old man, he is a seer of what is hidden from others. It means, metaphorically, all others are blind to his prophecies. When Oedipus calls for him to interpret the predictions of Oracle brought by Creon, his brother-in-law, he asks Tiresias to tell him the truth. However, when Tiresias does not say what he wants, he calls him a blind old man who cannot see the truth at which Tiresias states “You blame my temper, / but do not see the one which lives within you” (Sophocles 401-402). He is referring to his blindness in a way that he does not see that he has killed his father and married his mother. He also does not see that he is father of his own sisters and daughters. In this sense, Oedipus is blind. Tiresias tells him that he should not accuse him of blindness as he himself is a blind one.

Real Blindness of Oedipus

Secondly, Oedipus becomes blind at the end when he comes to know that he has committed all from which he was escaping. He not only killed his father but also married his own mother. He came to know when he called for the shepherd of Jocasta who gave him to the shepherd of Corinth. Then he ran to the palace to find that Jocasta has killed herself in desperation. He could not brook this anymore and gouged out his own eyes with the brooches. When Chorus taunts him for blinding himself, he states “Though I am blind, I know that voice so well” (1578).

Blindness of Chorus and Blindness of Oedipus

Chorus is also blind though not physically but symbolically. The chorus represents the elders or common people of that time. The commoners were mostly unaware of the state of affairs as the tragedy was mostly concerned with the life of the characters having stature, grandeur, and honor. However, here Chorus does not know anything about what is happening and in a sense is blind to what is before him. Chorus states “I want to ask you many things—there’s much / I wish to learn” (1308)– a hint that Chorus does not know anything about anything and is virtually blind to the realities to be faced by Oedipus. This could be a symbolic blindness in Oedipus.

Concluding the argument , it could be said that there are two types of blindness; one of the general eyesight and the other of the inner eye. Oedipus is blind in both ways when he accuses Tiresias of blindness, who is physically blind but inwardly he could see destiny. Similarly, as a representative of commoners, the Chorus is also blind to the events happening to Oedipus. Therefore, there are three blinds; Chorus, Oedipus, and Tiresias but Oedipus is blind in two days.

Works Cited

Sophocles. “Oedipus The King”. Trans. Ian Johnston. n. d. Web. 15 Sep. 2014. < https://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/sophocles/oedipustheking.htm>

Relevant Questions

• How does the physical blindness of Oedipus at the end of the play symbolize the Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King?
• How do characters like Tiresias and Jocasta, who exhibit metaphorical blindness, contribute to the exploration of the Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King?
• In what ways does the theme of familial blindness, where generations of characters fail to see their roles in their tragic destinies, emphasize the Theme of Blindness in Oedipus the King?

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Blindness in Oedipus the King

On his flight, he met Laius. He ended up killing Laius. He continued on, answered a riddle of the evil Sphinx, and ended up king of Thebes. With this kingdom, Oedipus married Jocasta. He had lived out the prophecy without even knowing he had. Thebes fell onto bad times , and a prophet put the blame on a polluter of the lands. Oedipus called on Teiresias, and Teiresias informed him that the polluter was the King. As Oedipus searched further and further, he discovered that he was the polluter and that the prophecy had come true. When Oedipus finally discovered the truth, he was so distressed that he ran pins into his eyes, blinding himself.

Oedipus was also physically blind. Oedipus’ physical blindness played into the whole role of the Greek tragedy. The blindness completed the tragedy for Oedipus . Every Greek tragedy was supposed to end with the main characters experiencing their own, personal tragedy. For Oedipus, this tragedy was discovering the truth and becoming blind. It completed the prophecies that Oedipus received from the blind prophet, Teiresias. Teiresias told Oedipus that he had come into Thebes with his sight , but he would leave Thebes without it. Oedipus’ physical blindness also left Oedipus to the wrongs of his life.

With nothing to look at, Oedipus was forced to think about his life and what had happened. He was forced to deal with it. He had the blackness and the physical pain he had inflicted on himself as reminders and as punishment. Oedipus’ physical blindness was just as painful as his blindness to the truth. Both were intertwined in each other. Jocasta’s blindness was different then Oedipus’. She knew about the prophecy, but she thought Oedipus was dead. She had no idea that she had married her son. As pieces of information came to point to the whole truth of the matter, Jocasta refused to accept what had really happened.

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