Oedipus the King is known to many ancient people of Greece as one of Sophocles’ famous works of playwriting, including for those of this current generation. This play-write has intriguing themes well-known to keep the reader invested in the story, as it follows the story of Oedipus, who is blinded by the truth of who is actually behind the mysterious plague threatening his kingdom. One of the major themes in this play is an act on blindness versus sight, as “blindness” is the only way Oedipus can truly see his own destined fate, a metaphor throughout the story, as “sight” is an illusion sought by Oedipus included. A side character, Tiresias, an actual blind prophet who doesn’t speak the truth to Oedipus as he questions his own fate, until revealing …show more content…
This foreshadow presents itself as a forthcoming for Oedipus, as he notes that “to hear the truth from others,” mentioning Tiresias later on in the play, as he fails to ignore the warning signs of his own fate. This shows that Oedipus is regretful to hear the truth from Tiresias, as another piece of writing, “I would be blind to misery not to pity my people kneeling at my feet,” (line 14) shows another foreshadowing event as Oedipus being “blind” not to pity his own …show more content…
This leads to Oedipus’s downfall as he neglects the warning signs given by foreshadowing, irony, and from the messenger, Tiresias, as mentioned in the beginning. Towards the end as the truth is revealed to Oedipus, as his wife, now shown to be his mother, hangs herself as Oedipus learns of him being the murderer or Laius. Fueled by disgust and rage, he blinds himself permanently and physically. After being blinded by his own fate, the truth lets Oedipus sees himself for who he really has
This is the foundation for why Oedipus was blinded to his fate. Though Tiresias, the blind prophet, lacks the ability to see with his natural eyes, he possesses an insight into the lives of others. Oedipus believes his act of self-blinding was a justification and payment for his actions. It required a blind man to show Oedipus his own blind state of the tragic fate that was set before him. Oedipus believes his act of self-blinding was a payment for his actions he did according to his destiny. Now, he is no longer in a state to inflict plagues and heartbreak on those around him. Oedipus the king, now Oedipus the commoner, pays the ultimate price for the deeds he has done, permanent exile from those he loves and holds
“…they will never see the crime I have committed or had done upon me!” These are the words Oedipus shouted as he blinds himself upon learning the truth of his past. It is ironic how a person blessed with perfect physical vision could in reality be blind to to matters of life and conscience. During his prime as King of Thebes, Oedipus is renowned for his lucidity and his ability to rule with a clear concept of justice and equality. The people loved him for his skill and wit, as he saved Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx. As a result, Oedipus became overly confident, and refuses to see that he may be the cause of the malady that is plaguing his kingdom. Although physically Oedipus has full use of his eyes, Sophocles uses sight to demonstrate how Oedipus is blind to the truth about his past what it might me for both him and his kingdom. Upon learning the truth, Oedipus gouges out his eyes, so he won’t have to look upon his children, or the misfortune that is his life. Once physically unable to see, Oedipus has clear vision as to his fate, and what must be done for his kingdom and his family
Initially, Oedipus is a confident leader who believes he is educated and knows the truth about himself and the land he presides over, Thebes. This is because he was proclaimed the most famous man alive as a result of his answering the Sphinx’s riddle to save Thebes from a tragic epidemic. However, at the beginning of the play there is another plague causing grief to the members of Thebes, and Oedipus goes so far as to say that he will stop at nothing to rid Thebes of this pollution. He states, "Each of you grieves for himself alone, while my heart must bear the strain of sorrow for all--myself and you and all our city’s people. No I am not blind to it," (p.4). Yet in essence he is blind to it because he is the indirect cause for the epidemic in Thebes. Oedipus finds out that the cause for the Epidemic is that nobody came forth as an avenger in the murder of King Laius. Oedipus then states, "I shall not cease until I bring the truth to light. Apollo has shown, and you have shown, the duty which we owe the dead," (p.5). This is ironic in that Oedipus vows to make the truth come to light so that everybody can see it, including himself. Moreover, th...
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests that the impact of seeing the truth is harmful rather than enlightening. Whenever Oedipus strives to discover more to strengthen Thebes’ perspective of him, it leads him closer to his fate as determined by prophesy. Tiresias stands as a model in the play for the individual who is able to see the meaning beyond plot of events although his is blind, and Oedipus represents the oblivious arrogant individual who is never content because they need to be the unsurpassed individual. In the play, Sophocles illustrates the downside of a personality like Oedipus who desires to see the truth by ending the play with the brutality of gouging out his own eyes. Ultimately, the play reinforces that seeing the truth is harmful and being content with what you have, without greedily striving for more, can help avoid fate and a related deposition.
In Oedipus the King, the main character, Oedipus, learns that his own eyes have betrayed him all along. In the classic tragedy of Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the new King of Thebes who learns that the old king, Laius, was murdered. It is soon his own destiny to find out the truth about Laius. In hopes of finding out the truth to set the people of Thebes free from destruction, he soon finds out that the truth affects him more than his people. In the beginning of the story, the people of Thebes come to him in hopes of finding safety. “Therefore, O mighty King, we turn to you; find us our safety, find us a remedy, whether by counsel of the gods or men (pg. 950, lines 43-45).” It was his duty as the new King to be the hero of the land of the people and solve the crime of the murder of Laius. He wanted to be praised for his works, and to also gain more fame, wealth, and respect by all of the people of Thebes and Kadmos.
Oedipus was so blind to all that he thought he knew. He thought his real parents were Polybus and Merope, and when he found out his fate was doomed he decided to take action against the gods and leave Corinth. Consequently, he played right into the hands of fate when trying to avoid it. Tiresias, the man who told him from the start that he was the killer of the King of Thebes was blind, but he knew the truth regardless. Oedipus on the other hand who could see was blind to the truth the whole time, until he became physical blind. Perceiving what people think is the truth with their eyes, instead of the actual truth ultimately becomes Oedipus’s downfall.
Unlike Literal imagery, figurative imagery provides readers with a deeper connotation of the piece they are exploring, as well allowing them to uncover more information through the use of symbolism, and themes conveyed through figurative imagery. Similarly, in “Oedipus Rex” Young communicates to the readers the underlying theme of blindness through Oedipus. Oedipus is the main character within the play. Although Oedipus considers himself a hero in the eyes of Thebes, he is in fact the destroyer of it. Due to a prophecy of his own undoing, Thebes begins to suffer under the wrath of the gods due to Oedipus’s actions. However, instead of literal imagery used, Young develops the theme further through the use of Oedipus’s figurative blindness. “You see not, and yet blame me!” (13). In this quote made by Tiresias, it is evident that although Oedipus is not physically disabled like him, he is still blind to the notion that Thebes undoing is because of him. Similarly, it is evident that Tiresias refers to the fact that no blind man could kill another man, yet a seeing man with a blinding persona, such as Oedipus himself, is unable to see his own undoing. Unwilling to see what is in front of him, Oedipus is blind to the fact that he is the true murderer of Laius, the old king. Furthermore, through the use of imagery, it is evident that the theme of blindness is ever present with the use of both
Sophocles introduces a prophet, a seer, Teiresias, into the play. Teiresias is a wise, old man who has supernatural powers to interpret the past and predict the future. Ironically, Teiresias is physically blind, but can “see” the truth about Oedipus. Oedipus has trouble imagining that his father life was taken at his hands. It signifies that Oedipus as a man is ignorant to the true appearance of things - this blind man can "see" the truth about Oedipus, yet Oedipus, in all of his physical perfection, cannot.
While Tiresias is physically blind, he can “see” all, including Oedipus’ fate. Tiresias is known as a seer. The author of the book The Seer in Ancient Greece defines a seer as “a professional diviner, an expert in the art of divination” and he then goes on to say, “There is no exact modern equivalent, since he or she combined the role of confidant and personal adviser with that of psychic, fortune-teller, and homeopathic healer” (Flower 22). Although there are many other seers in literature, Tiresias fits this definition perfectly. Within the first few parts of the play Tiresias acts as Oedipus’ fortune-teller; he knows the fate that awaits Oedipus even though Oedipus himself is unaware.
One great ruler and respected leader has finally come face to face with fate. Oedipus has realized that he has killed his father, married his mother and has children with the women who gave birth to him. His search for Laius` killer and who’s also the cause of the plague has brought him to discover that the terrifying truth that altered his life drastically. His search for the culprit has caused him to find out the truth, the truth about his identity, the truth that caused him to blind himself. Oedipus` journey of self-discovery provides the reader with the plays final message.
To begin with, Oedipus is his own tragedy since his actions and decisions are the reasons why he was not able to thoroughly see his mistakes. Sir Tyrone Guthrie places Oedipus in the middle of the town to begin the interrogation of finding the murderer of King Laius so the city can be unwind of its plague. Sir Tyrone Guthrie does this on purpose so the audience and the servants around him can see the foolish mistakes their great King achieves. Tiresias, the blind prophet who can see the past, present, and future, speaks to Oedipus, since Tiresias has the ability to only see the truth. Even though the audience can see that Oedipus is not taking any consideration of the prophet’s words when Tiresias directly yells to him that Oedipus is the “murderer [he] [seeks],” the ignorant side of Oe...
Oedipus’ interaction with the blind seer Tiresias create a stark contrast between what is “blindness” and what is “sight”. Tiresias is physically blind, but it is implied that he is the one of the pair that can truly and accurately “see”. This is made evident when Tiresias states, ““That’s your truth? Now hear mine: honor the curse your own mouth spoke. From this day on, don’t speak to me or to your people here. You are the plague. You poison your own land,” (Line 420-424). His statement highlights the knowledge that Oedipus is too blind to see—Oedipus is the cause of the plight of Thebes. Tiresias portray the blindness of Oedipus again by saying, “Since you have thrown my blindness at me I will tell you what your eyes don’t see: what evil you are steeped in,” (Lines 497-499). Through acknowledging his own violence, Tiresias is once again able to portray that Oedipus is lacking in some kind of true sight, that of the crime he unknowingly commi...
Oedipus’s actions are unintentional, which makes the consequences much harder to bear. While conversing with the Shepherd, the truth about Oedipus’s birth comes to light, he says, “O light! May I never look on you again, Revealed as I am, sinful in my begetting, sinful in marriage, sinful in shedding of blood!” (Sophocles, 1156-1158). When he learns the truth he feels great despair. Oedipus is able to invoke pity from the audience easily as the once strong and powerful ruler is reduced to nothing. His nature aids in his failure, as it is his pride and relentless search for the truth that brings his crimes to light, this causes the purging of emotions to be much stronger, as he committed the sin unknowingly and took all measures necessary to prevent his misfortune, it allows the audience to feel pity towards him. Moreover, Oedipus harbours an immense amount of guilt over the actions which were predetermined by fate. He gouges out his eyes as punishment as, “how could i meet my father beyond the grave with seeing eyes; or my unhappy mother, against whom i have committed such heinous sin as no mere death could pay for?”(1372-1375). Oedipus tries his best to thwart the prophecy so it will not come true, however his fate was predetermined. Oedipus blinds himself, this shows his extreme feelings of regret as he was not able to prove the prophecy false. Since Oedipus acts according to
Brilliantly conceived and written, Oedipus the King dramatizes the self-discovery and tragic downfall of Oedipus, the King of Thebes. It tells the story about a young Greek who was fated to murder his father, marry his mother, and in the process become the King of Thebes, before ultimately meeting his downfall due to his own deeds. That makes this play so fascinating is that there are numerous underlying themes within the story, and I will attempt to shed light on one of these themes, that being the dramatic irony of blindness. I shall do this by focusing on the words and actions of a minor character in the play, Tiresias.
Oedipus and Tiresias, characters of Sophocles' play "Oedipus Tyrannus," are propelled to their individual destinies by their peculiar relationships with truth. Paranoid and quick to anger Oedipus, is markedly different from the confident and self-assured Tiresias. In the dialogue between the two men, Oedipus rapidly progresses from praise of Tiresias as a champion and protector of Thebes in line 304, to blatantly accusing the blind prophet of betraying the city in line 331, to angrily insulting him in line 334. Rather than be intimidated by the protagonist's title and temperament, Tiresias draws strength from what he knows is true and is able to stand his ground.