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To see or not to see, that is the real question. Is ignorance really bliss? Is the truth really worth it? And isn’t that ironic? The motif of sight and blindness is used in the classic Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, to emphasize ignorance, knowledge, and to have a sense of irony in the character of Tiresias. Ignorance, it is said that it is bliss; to not know something. It may be something good, or something bad. This difference may never be discovered because, ignorance. This cluelessness appears many times in the story, represented by the characteristic of blindness. Oedipus was viewed as a man that was “greatest in the eyes of all.”(44) Before the truth came spilling out, the people of Thebes adored Oedipus. They praise him for all he had done, such as save them from the terror of the Sphinx, as well as being a great king. Oedipus was compared to the gods with his mightiness. Later on in the play, Oedipus declares that, “as if for [his] own father…[he will] try everything, seeking to find the one who committed the murder”(273-275) of Laius, and who had brought this terrible plague of death and famine upon his beloved city. The irony …show more content…
Sophocles uses this strong antithesis to emphasize the fact that sometimes, one is not able to see the truth for he is blinded by the corrupt assumptions that he makes through what his eyes can comprehend. Tiresias appears before Oedipus, and accuses him of committing the murder, of which Oedipus strongly denies. But Tiresias could “see well that [Oedipus could] not understand.”(652) Tiresias could see while Oedipus was blinded by pride. The seer could also found not only Oedipus ignorant, but he could see that the chorus, or people of Thebes were also blinded, seeing their king “as just in their eyes.”(706) The prophet could see all the wicked in the King, and the real reason behind the nasty plague, but the chorus were blinded by their adoration and reverence for their savior
In the play, Oedipus the King, blindness is used metaphorically and physically to characterize several personas , and the images of clarity and vision are used as symbols for knowledge and insight. Enlightenment and darkness are used in much the same manner, to demonstrate the darkness of ignorance, and the irony of vision without sight.
Sophocles, an ancient Greek poet, had produced the play Oedipus the King. This work of his would become known as the original Greek tragedy. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, is thought very highly of by his people for his success of solving the riddle of the sphinx and ultimately saving them. He basks in the glory and praise of his accomplishment on a day to day basis. " Now we [Chorus] pray to you. You cannot equal the gods, your children know that, bending at your altar. But we rate you first of men, both in common cries of our lives and face-to-face encounters with the gods." (Sophocles: 39-43). In the play, Oedipus must find the killer of Thebes' late king, Laius , in order to relieve the people of a plague. He later goes on to wrongly accusing others of conspiring against him and of being the cause of the Thebeans' suffering and, on t...
In the play “Oedipus Rex by Sophocles” the themes of sight and blindness are produced to develop in the readers mind that it is not the eyesight, but insight that holds the key to truth and without It no amount of knowledge can help uncover the truth. Insight can be described as the ability to see what is going to happen. Characters like Oedipus and Teiresias hold a significant role in the play and other characters like Iocaste are also important in the play.
People can be “blinded” to the truth. The answer to their question or solution to their problem may have been obvious. Yet, they could not "see" the answer. They were blinded to the truth. Associations have been made between being blind and enlightened. A blind person is said to have powers to see invisible things. They "see" into the future. The blind may not have physical sight, but they have another kind of vision. In Sophocles' King Oedipus, Teiresias, the blind prophet, presents the truth to King Oedipus and Jocasta. Oedipus has been blinded to the truth his whole life. When he does find the truth, he loses his physical vision. Because of the truth, Oedipus blinds himself. Jocasta was blind to the true identity of Oedipus. Even when she found out the truth, she refused to accept it. In this case, those who are blind ultimately do have a higher vision - the truth.
"How dreadful knowledge of truth can be when there is no help in truth! I knew this well but did not act on it; else I should not have come" (Line 101). Tiresias admits his grief to Oedipus and tells him that it is his job to tell the truth. Although Oedipus cannot see past reality, Tiresias, who is literally blind, sees the truth in Oedipus’s life. "But I say you, with both eyes, are blind: you cannot see the wretchedness of your life..." (196). As Oedipus argues with Tiresias, he says in return, “You blame my temper but you do not see your own that lives within you; it is me you chide” (369-72).
Blindness can normally be defined as the inability of the eye to see, but according to this play, blindness is not always a physical quality, but a mental flaw some people posses. The author uses physical blindness, as well as intellectual blindness to illustrate Oedipus' status as a tragic hero. Throughout the play, blindness is seen as a main theme, where Sophocles explored not only physical blindness, but also intellectual blindness. The theme of blindness is split into two main categories, where one is the ability to see, while the other is the willingness to see. Oedipus, who sets out to rescue the city of Thebes by bringing the killer of Laius to justice, becomes the victim of fate where whatever choice he makes seems to be the wrong one. From this, the question of whether or not Oedipus' blindness of the truth was what ultimately destroyed him is one that can be answered with many opinions, as it all depends on how the reader perceived the play.
He too believed himself to be light to all truths, on which he acted. While trying to discover the killer of Laius in order to save Thebes from eventual termination, Oedipus in his certain knowledge, curses the killer, “all must ban him from their homes…. May he wear his unblessed life out of evilly, as he is evil” (Sophocles 118). Without full knowledge of the actual killer being himself, Oedipus calls the killer evil, and exiles him from Thebes, banishing him from any Theban dwelling. It shows his ignorance to the actual truth, his unawareness to his own ignorance, and how he rashly acts upon his false knowledge bringing his ultimate
Throughout Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, there are many references to sight, blindness, and seeing the truth. Characters, such as Tiresias, are able to accurately predict what Oedipus’ fate will be through their power to see the truth in a situation. Oedipus maintains a pompous and arrogant personality throughout the play as he tries to keep control of the city of Thebes and prove the speculations about his fate as falsities. Ironically, although Tiresias is physically blind, he is able to correctly predict how Oedipus’ backstory will unfold, while other characters, such as Jocasta and Oedipus are oblivious to the truth even though they can physically see. Thus, we can conclude that the power of “seeing the truth” deviates greatly from the power of sight in reality and can lead to an expedited fate or a detrimental occurrence.
All ignorant! And I refuse to link my utterance with a downfall such as yours.(Pg.42) At this point in the play, Oedipus still cannot perceive who the murderer of King Laius is, even though the riddle is obvious. Oliver 2 Oedipus has the ability to comprehend the riddles, but he won't allow himself to accept the truth. When Oedipus saved Thebes from The Sphinx, he answered this difficult puzzle. The Sphinx demanded, What creature is it that walks on four feet in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening? With his eminent mastery of riddles and having an open mind, Oedipus replied, It is Man. As a child he crawls on four. When he grows up he walks upright on his two feet, and in old age he leans on a staff.1 This puzzle is far more complex than Tiresias's rudimentary riddles, so Oedipus has the ability to solve the riddles but cannot let himself do so, because of his pomposity. Oedipus is so arrogant that he can't believe that he could possibly have done anything wrong. He suffered from the sin of hubris. That is, he was very vain, and conceited. No matter how straightforward Tiresias's riddles were, Oedipus's pride wouldn't let him solve them. Finally, Tiresias came right out and said what he meant without a riddle, and Oedipus still couldn't accept that he did anything wrong.
Ancient Greeks cared deeply about the pursuit of knowledge. Although the truth was often a terrifying concept, they still saw it as a critical virtue. One of the main underlying themes in Oedipus the King is the struggle of sight vs. blindness. Oedipus’ blindness is not just physical blindness, but intellectual blindness as well. Sophocles has broken blindness into two distinct components. The first component, Oedipus's ability to "see" (ignorance or lack thereof), is a physical characteristic. The second component is Oedipus's willingness to "see", his ability to accept and understand his fate. Throughout the play, Sophocles demonstrates to us how these components.
Not only does ignorance have a negative impact on people, it is also “the root and stem of all evil” (Plato), which can destroy a person. To start off, self-superiority can cloud a person’s judgment; making it evident that intelligence can easily be lost to arrogance. To add on, anger and the human tendency to make rash decisions can also contribute to ignorance, resulting in eventual downfall. Lastly, unconscious attempts to blind yourself from the truth can result in the committing of major sins. Tragedy occurs in “Oedipus the King” when ignorance causes disastrous events, proving that lack of knowledge can result in their misfortune.
Tiresias responds by using the same metaphor: So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this. You with your precious eyes, you're blind to the corruption of your life, to the house you live in, those you live with—who are your parents? Do you know? All unknowing you are the scourge of your own flesh and blood, the dead below the earth and the living here above, and the double lash of your mother and your father's curse will whip you from this land one day, their footfall treading you down in terror, darkness shrouding your eyes that now can see the light!
In the play Oedipus Rex, the main character Oedipus has many personal flaws that cause him to be innerly blind. Oedipus’ inner blindness lead to his status as a static character and his downfall by not seeing his flaws , and not understanding the consequences of not understanding himself.
Throughout Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Oedipus frantically searched for the truth, but due to his pride, remained blind to his own connection to the dire plague that infected Thebes.
Oedipus Rex was a tragic hero who took part in his own downfall. That is the central idea of the play Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles in ancient Greece. His use of irony develops the central idea that Oedipus was a tragic hero who took part in his own downfall.