Blindness In Oedipus The King Essay

Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, explores the idea of how a man can see with his eyes, but be blind to what is going on around him. Throughout the ancient Greek tragedy, blindness is a recurring theme both metaphorically and literally. Though it is Tiresias the prophet who is physically blind, it is Oedipus’s blindness and failure to truly see that highlights the irony in the play. In time, Oedipus will learn he is blind to the truth that is directly in front of him and must face it head on. In this case Oedipus, head on means learning a disgusting truth and making himself physically blind. Sophocles utilizes both the motif of sight and blindness and the satire of the circumstances unfolding around Oedipus to educate readers not only of the value of true insight but the consequences that can occur without it. Through the duration of the play, Oedipus seeks answers

It seems that no matter the circumstances, Oedipus is incapable of escaping the tragic fate the gods bestow upon him. It takes Oedipus gaging his eyes out and becoming blind for him to finally see with insight, rather than his actual sight. This is the greatest irony of all and emphasizes Sophocles notion that being physically blind is not a lack of knowledge, however blindness to insight is. Oedipus himself comes to this realization after becoming blind and proclaiming, “Eyes, now you will not, no, never see the evil I suffered, the evil I cause. You will see blackness- where once where lives you should never have lived to see” (740). Not only is this a reference to his original fate and nearly being killed shortly after his birth, but the self-discovery, or epiphany, that encompasses the entire theme of Oedipus the King. The allusions throughout the story brings greater significance to this final and epic scene, leaving a lasting impact and overwhelming feeling of catharsis for the