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Symbolism and motif of sight and blindness in oedipus rex
Sight in oedipus rex
Symbolism and motif of sight and blindness in oedipus rex
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Firstly , Oedipus The King , he was physically blinded by the truth and he did not know what was going on in his life . Oedipus was so blind , that he did not know he was married to his mother . Oedipus was the father of his mother’s two children , and his mother always thought of him being dead . He didn’t know that he killed his father , which is the King , and he didn’t know he was taken away from Thebes . Oedipus’ blindness led to wrong things in his life and they led to destruction . Oedipus says , “Then hear, — I’ll not be proved a murderer.”(Line 668) Oedipus is saying that he can not be proved of being a murderer , but he does not know that he killed his biological father . Second , Jocasta’s blindness was different from Oedipus’ blindness , because she knew much about prophecy . She was the Queen of Thebes and she always prayed to the God Apollo , whom was the God of the Sun . She was told the true story about Oedipus , and she refused to accept the fact of that Oedipus could be her …show more content…
She realizes herself sleeping with her son and that they committed incest . Jocasta led to killing herself after about what happened to her sleeping with her son Oedipus . Jocasta says , “Do not concern yourself about this matter;(Line 813) listen to me and learn that human beings(Line 814) have no part in the craft of prophecy.
Sight. Sometimes even though you can see, it is not good enough. After all, the eyes can be deceiving. Sometimes it seems that life is an illusion. The moment you think you’re seeing the right thing, the image shifts on you. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, when Oedipus tries to see and control to his destiny he is blind but is blinded by his pride, and only when he is really blind does he see.
“…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
Oedipus was blind in more then one way. He was blind to the truth about his own life. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta. He was so blind that he got mad at anyone who was foolish enough to suggest such an idea.
Oedipus is very knowledgeable during the play and at some times still extremely ignorant. He doesn’t always put pieces together. When they are right in front of him. Many people in the play call him ignorant when he still believes that he is knowledgeable. Tiresias says “ All ignorant! And I refuse to link my utterance with a downfall such as yours” (19). In this quote Tiresias means that Oedipus is ignorant even though he acts like he knows everything. Oedipus does not know what Tiresias knows and that is that the curse, which stated the Oedipus would marry his mother, has come true. Tiresias can see what will happen when Oedipus finds out that Jocasta is really his mother and wants to prevent that from happening. When Tiresias does not tell Oedipus the information he seeks he gets angry. Tiresias also has another quote that goes along with knowledge verses ignorance. Tiresias states “I’m blind, you say; you mock at that! I say you see and still are blind-appallingly: Blind to your origins and to a union in your house. Yes, ask yourself where are you from. You’d never guess what hate is dormant in your home or buried with your dear ones dead, or how a mother’s and a fathers curse will one day scourge you with its double thongs and whip you staggering from the land. It shall be night where you now boast the day.” (23). This quote says a lot. First Tiresias accuses Oedipus for mocking him yet still not knowing the information that he knows. Which is the curse. He accuses Oedipus for being blind also and not knowing the truth of his origins, which are from a different mother, and then he grew up with. He doesn’t see he has married his mother. In one part of the quote it states “Yes, ask your self where are you from”. Tiresias is hinting at the fact even though Oedipus thinks he’s extremely knowledgeable he’s ignorant because he doesn’t know where he is from.
A simple process formed the backbone of most Greek philosophy. The ancients thought that by combining two equally valid but opposite ideas, the thesis and the antithesis, a new, higher truth could be achieved. That truth is called the synthesis. This tactic of integrating two seemingly opposite halves into a greater whole was a tremendous advance in human logic. This practice is illustrated throughout Oedipus at Colonus in regard to Sophocles’ portrayal of vision, sight, and the eye. In Colonus, there are many and varied descriptions of the aspects of the eye, whether the eye be human or divine. To Sophocles, the eye must have been a synthesis, both physical and spiritual, yet something apart from both.
Jocasta’s compliance to the demands of the men around her is revealed through her constant role as a nurturing mother, one who provides emotional connections, but cannot make decisions. This role spans throughout the entire prophecy, throughout her entire life, and throughout her roles as Oedipus’ mother and then his wife. With the arrival of the prophecy that her and Laios’ son is destined to kill his own father and marry his own mother, Jocasta had to leave her child to essentially die in order to evade the prophecy. A mother’s first instinct is typically to protect her child at all costs; however, Jocasta goes against this by actually putting her child in danger in order to protect her husband. This instance proves that the husband seems to be the main focus. Every action seems to be to p...
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. Oedip...
As the play draws to a close, it is shown how Oedipus learns the true nature of things. Oedipus remains blind to the truth until he can deny it no longer. After hearing the testimony of the herdsman it is perfectly clear to Oedipus that he has fulfilled the prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother, in turn bringing the great misfortune about the city of Thebes. Upon discovering the truth, along with discovering Jocasta’s dead body, Oedipus blinds himself with the pins on her dress and shouts that his eyes “would no longer see the evils he had suffered or had done, see in the dark those he should not have seen.” (1280-1282).
She, too, like Oedipus when he is older, is terrified once she hears her fate prophesied. She then does her best to escape it by leaving Oedipus out in the woods to die. After she does this, she believes that her fate has been taken care of and she need not worry about it anymore. Years later, she even tells Oedipus, who is now her husband, that he doesn’t need to fear the prophecy either. Jocasta tells him that the oracles had been wrong before: "So clear in this case were the oracles, so clear and false. Give them no heed, I say; what God discovers need of, easily he shows to us himself" (Sophocles 833-836). It is evident even from these words that she doesn’t think Oedipus needs to worry about the prophecy. In the end, though, she realizes his fate and the inevitability of fate itself when she cries, “O Oedipus, God help you! God keep you from the knowledge of who you are!" (Sophocles 1222-1223).” At this same moment, she realizes her own fate and how no matter what she did, she could never escape her fate or the gods
The play Oedipus the King by Sophocles has often been described as the story of a “tragic hero.” This story is indeed tragic; however, Oedipus is not the only character stricken by tragedy. Equally stricken may be the character of Jocasta. She, as well as Oedipus, suffers many tragedies throughout the story. Shifting the story to a different perspective quite possibly may increase how we view it. The point is not to denounce Oedipus’ role as a tragic hero, but to denounce his role as the only tragic character.
First off, Teiresias is hinting at the fact that Oedipus’ relationship with Jocasta is a “sinful union” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus is unable to make the connection between what Teiresias is saying and his own prophecy. Oedipus does not want to acknowledge the fact that he has committed a sin and he avoids learning the truth by remaining ignorant of his true parentage. On top of this, when Teiresias outright tells Oedipus that “the killer [he is] seeking is [himself]” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus refuses to believe this and instead accuses Teiresias of lying and plotting against him. Oedipus, as a known intelligent character, should have listened to Teiresias, who is known for being a wise man; instead, Oedipus puts the blame on Teiresias. Teiresias then goes on to foreshadow that the “taunts” (Sophocles 36) Oedipus is throwing at him will “someday [be] cast at [him]” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus does not take the warning of Teiresias seriously instead he continues to insult Teiresias. Oedipus’ inability to face the truth will result in him being banned and blinding himself for his ignorance. Similarly, Jocasta attempts to prevent Oedipus from gaining knowledge by explaining that “[i]t makes no difference now” (Sophocles 55) and to “[f]orget” (Sophocles 55) what has been told to him. Jocasta not only tries to stop Oedipus from learning the truth, she also tries to stop herself from verifying the truth, this later results in her unfortunate suicide. Also, Jocasta’s ignorance and inability to discover Oedipus’ true past causes her to commit incest, a major sin. Jocasta and Oedipus committing this sin then result in the God’s punishing Thebes. Showing that, ignorance leads to
All the paths of evidence lead to the prophecy and that Oedipus is the killer, the father. and the son. Jocasta sees this result sooner and can no longer live with herself. Oedipus lives but can no longer see. He makes his life alone and
Jocasta is the queen of Thebes. She is married to Oedipus, the king of Thebes. Little did Jocasta and Oedipus know when they got married is that, Jocasta is Oedipus’s mother. The reason they did not know this very important piece of information is because Laius, Jocasta’s other husband, and Oedipus’s father had gotten a prophecy. The prophecy was that someday, Laius would be killed by his own son. So they took Oedipus and bound his ankles together and gave him to a Shepherd. They both thought that their son had died that day. He lived and was adopted, and Laius’s prophecy will someday become true.
Shortly thereafter Oedipus learns the truth. He gouges out his very own eyes when he sees that Jocasta killed herself. At this point his attitude towards Creon changes and he requests his presence. Creon automatically assumes the role as king. Oedipus tries to convince Creon to put him into exile, but Creon feels that he should check with the gods first.
In the play written by Socrates, “Oedipus the King,” Jocasta is an important character in the play who is presented in the play for a miniscule amount of time, but the impact of her character is far from miniscule. Jocasta can fall into the category of both a main character and a supporting character, character because of how big of an impact her role played into the plot while also not being in many scenes. In the entirety of the play, Jocasta is Oedipus's mother, his parents got rid of him for the fear that he would kill his father and wed his mother. Jocasta, that they received from the Oracle. Jocasta throughout the story was the Queen of Thebes. Jocasta didn’t believe in any prophets, but she is later on in the play proved wrong. The