Oedipus, is brought into the world by Queen of Thebes, Joecasta and King, Laios. In his early life he did not have an ideal childhood. King Laius is presented a prophecy where his fate is reveled. Luckily for Oedipus, the servant who of which was summoned to kill this baby, places him on the hill where he would be found and rescued by a Shepard. Oedipus was soon adopted by the King and Queen of…
"Listen to me. You mock my blindness, do you?/ But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind" (I, 195-196). With these memorable words, the sightless prophet Teiresias all but paints the entire tragic story of Sophocles' Oedipus the King, one of the most prominent pieces of Greek literary heritage. Greeks knew and loved the story of Oedipus from childhood, just as children today cherish the story of Cinderella. In his version of the beloved tale, Sophocles concentrates his attention on the events directly leading to Oedipus' destruction, portraying Oedipus as a helpless pawn of fate. The most prominent literary device is dramatic irony, primarily of the spoken word, through which--especially in the Prologue--Sophocles captures audience attention, illuminates Oedipus' arrogant personality, and foreshadows the events of the final scenes.…
Since he blinds himself after he learns the truth, he transitions to becoming physically blind but spiritually aware. Earlier in the novel, he has tunnel vision for he must know the truth to maintain his leadership and feed his hubris for being the great king that solves the city’s problems. He refers to himself as, “I, Oedipus, who bear the famous name” (4), and refers to his subjects as “my children” (9). Oedipus elevates himself to a god-like standing, as even a priest comes to seek help from. The dynamics in this situation reveal that he places himself above everyone, which ultimately leads to his downfall. However, Oedipus is elevated in a more transcendental way at the end of the novel as he takes in genuine concern for his children and Thebes as opposed to the self-absorbed Oedipus seen throughout the course of the novel. No longer is the focus on his power and whether he is the plague of Thebes or not, but he takes action for his people. He exiles himself by saying, “Let me purge my father’s Thebes of the pollution” (77), marking his heroism and maintaining his promise that he would rid Thebes of plague at any cost. He shows concern for his family by saying, “Take care of [my daughter], Creon; do this for me” (77). By pleading for pity upon his children and ensuring that they’re protected after he leaves, he shows a gain in empathy and consciousness uncharacteristic of him in earlier scenes. His transition from self-inflation to self-actualization shows the meditation that is achieved through blindness. Oedipus Rex leaves off with the note “let none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without pain” (81). This final quote suggests good fortune cannot be determined until one can reflect on life without regrets or pain. Although Oedipus faces decline in…
The second instance of Oedipus' blindness is his misinterpretation of who his true parents are. His hubris bars him from acknowledging the fact that he could not avoid the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus believes that he is the son of Polybus, not knowing that King Laios of Thebes, the man he murdered, is his actual father. What torture for both Jocasta and Oedipus it must be when they discover they have been married to someone of such a close kin as mother and son.…
As the play progresses his pride returns and shows that he hasn't truly changed his old ways. Unlike the first play Oedipus, as well as the other characters, don't seem important and religious themes are now stressed. The relationship between blindness and exile is also explored throughout the play through the actions and words of the characters. The theme of blindness is continued from Oedipus rex with the people who interacted with him to be blind at seeing him for who he is. From the people of Colonus to Oedipus' own son and brother-in-law, the people Oedipus interacts with only see his strength and power. As the play begins, Oedipus and Antigone stop to rest on a section of land. Oedipus believes this land to be the place where he will remain until his death. The citizens of Colonus go to this place to inform Oedipus that his desire to remain on this land is impossible because it is sacred to the town, but are convinced otherwise when Oedipus tells them of his prophecy. Also included in Oedipus' prophecy it is said that the land his body is buried in will be blessed by the gods.…
Oedipus’ brother-in-law, Creon advises him that the curse on the land of Thebes will be lifted if the killer of the former king is prosecuted. Oedipus seeks Teiresias to reveal not only the truth of King Laius’s death, but also his identity; “I say that you [Oedipus] are Laius’ murder- He whom you seek” (Sophocles 14). The information given by Teiresias distresses Oedipus and he accuses Creon and him of conspiring of his life angrily. The utilization of irony in the two characters creates the connection of blindness and sight. The main character is ignorant and “blind” towards the actual blind prophet. In addition, Jocasta is skeptical of prophecy, but ironically followed a prophet when her son was born; “To Laius once There came an oracle… That so it should befall, that he should die By a son’s hands, who he should have by me” (Sophocles 26). Jocasta’s ignorance brought the tragedy to herself. Although Oedipus and Jocasta both have their sight, they did not possess “blindness” to see what occurs in the…
Oedipus was shaded to the truth of his own life. Oedipus didn’t have any idea that his parents were who they turned out to be, Laius and Jocasta. He was oblivious to everything so much that when he did finally hear the truth, he would get angry at anyone who proposed the facts to him. As the story progressed, Oedipus was unprotected from the truth. He realized he was the person causing horrible periods in Thebes. He also recognized that he killed his own dad and married his mom.…
In He's Blind for a Reason, you know, it's known that physical blindness isn't just about sight, but it's concerning the mind, honesty, and intellectuality. Using this, an example is the neglect of Oedipus murdering his own father, possibly to avoid any negative impulse towards him from the people of Thebes. His mind can think he wasn't responsible for his actions but his heart knows it could be him. He's also showing intelligence in backing up the arguments he has with Teiresias showing who's in charge, for example in line…
The blindness, which Oedipus suffered, made him unable to accept and comprehend that Tiresias, although a blind prophet, can "see" the truth about his king, and yet Oedipus, with his perfect physical sight, cannot see this truth of himself, for he is still ignorant of it. In fact he is so blind that he becomes furious and angry with anyone who is foolish enough to suggest such an idea concerning his destiny. Correspondingly Tiresias plays an important role and is used significantly by Sophocles to shadow the weaknesses of Man by simply showing that although he is physically blind and he has the vision into the future, Man, being represented by Oedipus shows the lack of respect for wise. This is furthered, when he presents the truth to him. In his reaction, Oedipus "attacks" verbally his blindness and tells him that the only reason he is not blaming him is simply because he is blind. Actually, Tiresias uses his blindness to prophesize that Oedipus would leave Thebes blind, poor, and shamed. This statement obviously aggravated Oedipus even more. From this he begins to turn away from the idea of a prophet and seeing into the future. Ironically Tiresias' physical blindness led ultimately to…
Oedipus the King is a proud and arrogant man. An instance of his arrogance is shown when he says: “Here I am myself- / you all know me, the world knows my fame: / I am Oedipus” (7-9). From this line it can be seen that Oedipus has a lot of pride, because he is the one and only Oedipus. Also, the way that others speak to him must have an effect on the way that he views himself. For example, when the priest speaks to him he says: “Oh Oedipus, king of the land, our greatest power” (16). Overall, the Sphinx is Oedipus’ greatest form of pride, because he is the only one who could solve the riddle. Regardless of these signs of pride and arrogance, Oedipus fails to see his flaws within.…
In the play we see blindness from different perspectives, from the family side to even the domination of the kingdom. The relationship between Jocasta and Oedipus was blinded by truth. Even though it was in front of them they could not see it. They both become conscious of the truth after several years of relationship and even procreated 4 children as a result. They lived a life of incest because Oedipus was blinded by his power and thinking that he knew and controlled everything. The blindness mention in the story it’s the kind that we see every day in people. We sometimes are blinded by our actions and we are not aware of truth, which can make our lives much easier by accepting it. Our arrogance keeps us always from looking over our shoulders…
Tiresias, the blind profit did not want Oedipus to know how the dreadful knowledge was going to impact him, however when Oedipus found out the truth he screamed out to the heavens never have my eyes seen the horrible things that I have seen all of the things that I have done. The ignorance that a person like Oedipus would allow him-self to surpass is only limited to the amount of ignorance that one can subdue him-self to. The dramatic irony is the he pronounced his own sentence from the beginning. He want so much to see the truth that in the end he asked and received exactly what he asked for absolute truth. Moreover in keeping the keeping the daughters and his sons from the misery that boor them, he served his own eyes so that he could no…
Blindness is the downfall of the hero Oedipus in the play "King Oedipus" by Sophocles. Not only does the blindness appear physically, but also egotistically as he refuses to acknowledge the possibility of him actually being the murderer of Laius, the former King of Thebes. Coincidentally, he is also Oedipus's biological father. The use of light and dark in the play is strategically applied in order to better understand the emotion that lies within the characters.…
Throughout the play, Oedipus Rex, Sophocles makes several references about sight and blindness. Even though Tiresias is a blind man, he is the one that knows the truth and is insinuating that Oedipus doesn’t want to face it. Oedipus develops into a character blinded by all the greatness that Thebes has given him. The oracle prophesized by the gods is the main reason that led him to become the tragic hero of this play.…
In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the minor character of Tiresias is responsible for foreshadowing Oedipus' fate, developing the theme of blindness, and also illustrating dramatic irony. Tiresias is responsible for further developing the theme of blindness, by using his own physical blindness to reveal to Oedipus his mental blindness. Lastly, Tiresias is ultimately responsible for imposing dramatic irony because of his great knowledge of the truth of Oedipus. As a fortune teller, Tiresias is able to see the fate and destruction of Oedipus' life. Tiresias uses his great ability to reveal to the reader the downfalls in Oedipus' life that will soon occur because of his quest to know his fate. The character of Tiresias demonstrates the use of foreshadowing in order for the reader to be aware of Oedipus' fate.…