Motif Of Blindness In Oedipus The King

In Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex, the motif of blindness conveys the deep distinction between physically seeing and being mentally aware. When Oedipus lost his sight, all he had left was his knowledge and this caused him to learn things about himself that would not have otherwise been discovered. Oedipus tried to insult Teiresias by calling his life “one long night so that you cannot hurt me or any other who sees the light” (Sophocles 434-435). Oedipus believed that Teiresias is inadequate due to his loss of sight. In truth, Oedipus was the one who was blinded to his future, while Teiresias was able to clearly see the dreadful events in Oedipus’ fate. Oedipus continued to disparage Teiresias by saying that the Teiresias’ truth was not valid

because he was “blind in mind and ears as well as in your eyes” (429-430). Oedipus presumed a correlation between eyesight and psychological insight. He thought that Teiresias was lessened by his inability to see and that put Teiresias in a lesser position than others who can see. After Oedipus was aware of the prophecy’s truth and he gouged his eyes out, he asks Creon to “send me out to live away from Thebes” (1711-1712). Oedipus knew that his future would not be in Thebes and he sent himself to exile. His loss of sight allows him to not have to face his parents in his afterlife. He also had so much knowledge at that point, that he did not deserve to see.