Julinh Lam
English 2H, Block 4
Orr
September 29, 2014
Seeing Through Blinded Eyes
“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision” said Helen Keller. (Brainy Quotes) Even though we have the ability to see the world, we sometimes blind ourselves to accepting the truth and understanding it. Throughout the book, Sophocles shows us how a blind prophet, Tiresias, is able to address the truth of all matters, but how the rest of the characters fail to confront the truth due to fear. Oedipus is blind to the truth that he cannot run away from his own fate. Even though he tried away from Corinth, the truth unraveled, unbeknownst, before him in Thebes. On the other hand, Tiresias a physically blind prophet is able to see the
…show more content…
After being told by Creon that the killer of King Laius should be brought to justice, Oedipus goes through a series of events in an attempt to find the murderer. Oedipus sends for Tiresias to bring light upon the investigation. Once arriving and hearing Oedipus’s voice, Tiresias immediately knows that Oedipus had already killed his father and slept with his mother. He tells Oedipus that “[His] marriage is a sin. [His] love is a sin./ [His] bed is stained with sin.” (31) Oedipus refuses to process what Tiresias has said and immediately lashes out in anger. When Tiresias said that his marriage, love, and bed is a sin, Oedipus is blind to his own prophecy, so …show more content…
Instead, if Oedipus was not blind, he would link the fact of his marriage, love, and bed as a sin, with the prophecy of marrying his mother. Tiresias even tells Oedipus “the murderer you seek/ is yourself”. (31) If Oedipus processes the information, he has found the killer of King Laius and solved the mystery. However, he keeps blinding himself to the truth. After this whole scene, Oedipus talks to his wife (and mother), Jocasta, about Tiresias’ prophecy to him. Jocasta scoffs at Oedipus for believing in all truth of prophets and tells her prophecy of how she avoided her fate of her son going to kill his father and marry her. With this, Oedipus begins to recall his prophecy. He, then, links everything together when the shepherd confirms that he killed King Laius. As Tiresias once told Oedipus, “wisdom is a mode of suffering”. (28) By knowing that he was the killer of King Laius and had slept with his mom, he pokes his eyes out with brooches and goes into an exile of
He murders his father and marries his mother unknowingly. While it may seem to some that Oedipus was destined to carry out his fate, it is also true that Oedipus’ personality led him to his fate. It is clear to see that Oedipus is an impulsive and passionate man, which causes Oedipus to fulfill the prophecy that haunts him. He flees the kingdom of Corinthian in order to avoid his fate. Along his journey he comes to a crossroad that is blocked by a chariot, and “in a fit of anger” Oedipus kills the father he never knew (Meyer 1422).
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.
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.
In Sophocles’ tragic drama Oedipus the King, Oedipus, the king of Thebes, suddenly realizes that he killed his father and marries his mother. Oedipus shows great concern for his kingdom and his people, calling to “drive the corruption from the land” by bringing Laius’s murderer to justice (109). He summons Tiresias to find Laius’ murderer, but Oedipus becomes enraged when Tiresias accuses Oedipus of being the murderer. Oedipus, thinking that Creon is involved in this so-called conspiacy as well makes false accusations against Creon. Much to his surprise, however, Oedipus learns that the man he killed long ago is Laius, his father, and that Oedipus’ wife, Jocasta, is his mother, all in accordance with the prophecy that he had heard long before. After coming to this realization as well, Jocasta commits suicide. Oedipus gouges out his eyes after this episode and laments his birth. Although Oedipus strives to be a fair and just king by seeking Laius’ murderer, he is often not fair to his people. Also, by lamenting his birth, Oedipus blames whoever saved him for the pain he experiences. The play demonstrates the theme of injustice through Oedipus’ lament of his birth and Oedipus’ denial of justice to others—namely, Tiresias and Creon.
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
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.
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.
One moment, Oedipus is brimming with hope; the next, he’s sure that he is the killer of his father, King Laius. Every time Oedipus thinks that it can’t possibly be him, evidence proves otherwise. His wife, Jocasta, attempts to prove his innocence but “lets out part of the dire secret by her allusion to the ‘triple crossroads’” (Haigh). By attempting to assist Oedipus, she makes matters worse by causing him to remember his terrible assault upon several travelers at that very place. But then, the reversal comes in. Along comes a messenger with news of King Polybus’ death, which gives Oedipus false hope: “…but [Polybus] is dead and buried, / And I am here – I never touched him…” (Oedipus Rex. II. 3. 919-920). He now thinks that he couldn’t have killed his father, because he’s under the assumption that Polybus was his dad, when in reality Laius is his real father. Anyway, with yet another reversal of fortune, he reaches the deciding moment where he breaks down. When the shepherd that saved him from certain death on Mt. Cithaeron many years ago reveals the truth to Oedipus, he can do nothing but completely break down: “Ah God! / It was true! / All the prophecies!” (II. 4. 1119). The man that saved him in the first place dissolves all of Oedipus’ “hope,” as Oedipus comes to the ultimate realization that although he went to such great lengths, he could not avoid fulfilling ...
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.
Unfortunately, people can be “blinded” to the truth although the answers to their questions or solutions have always been manifested. Yet, they (Who do you mean by they?) have remained ignorant of the solution. In addition there has been many associations between being blind and enlightened. In Oedipus the King, Sophocles illustrates that those that are blind are the only one’s with the true vision because they have the power to see invisible things as well as the ability to see the scheduled subsequent. So, although the blind may not have physical perception, they do have another type of sight. In Oedipus the King, Teiresias, is the amaurotic prophet that discloses the gospel truth to King Oedipus and Jocasta. Although Oedipus has been blinded
He learns that the messenger gave Oedipus to Polybus and Merope of Corinth. He also learns that a shepherd rescued him from a mountain where he had his ankles pinned together. When Jocasta hears of this, she realizes that her husband is actually her son and that the oracle’s prophecy had come true. Disgusted with herself, she begs Oedipus to stop searching for the truth because she knows of the horror it will reveal. Oedipus refuses to listen to Jocasta for he feels she is afraid he is not of rich ancestry. Jocasta leaves, distraught and appalled by herself and her incestuous relationship with her son. The shepherd who had found Oedipus upon the mountain arrives and reveals the scandalous truth to Oedipus, that he indeed is the son of the Late King Laius and Queen Jocasta, that he indeed killed his father, and indeed married his mother and had children with her. Oedipus is immediately filled with self-loathing saying “Oedipus, damned in his birth, in his marriage damned, damned in the blood he shed with his own hand!” Oedipus finds that Jocasta has killed herself, for she could not deal with the knowledge that she married her son and had his incestuous children. He gouges out his own eyes for he cannot bear to deal with the horrors of his
“Are all unknowing; my say, in any sort. I will not say, lest I display thy sorrow.” (Sophocles, 12) Throughout the play Tiresias is trying to resist Oedipus’ authority; he does not want to reveal what he knows because it will ultimately ruin Oedipus’ life. He tries to tell Oedipus that there is no reason to share the truth because everything will happen for a reason. Oedipus’ anger grows, and there becomes a battle for power. “You can not hurt me/ nor any other who beholds the light” (Sophocles, 15) Both of the characters are very vulnerable at this point, Tiresias is already physically blind and is losing power as Oedipus continues to insult him, and question his truthfulness. Tiresias knows that the options are getting narrower and that he must act and tell Oedipus the truth about the prophecy. So he reveals that Oedipus is the murder of king Laius. Oedipus has now come to the realization that he is in the wrong and that he must blame himself for his actions. The debate between Oedipus and Tiresias and the search for the murder has now ceased. Tiresias was able to draw strength from what he knows to be true and stood by his knowledge. Knowing the truth about Oedipus allows him to be a very symbolic character and act as a catalyst for his fate. Oedipus is then exiled away from Thebes and gouges out his eyes, which reflects the theme and irony of blindness
For Oedipus, prophecy is not the main source of his fall towards society; rather, his hubris blinds himself from recognizing his personal sin in the world, thus leading to his demise. Sophocles even skillfully uses a metaphor through the words “ as led by a guide” to further explain the “supernatural being” that ultimately decides the tragic fate of the family of Oedipus. In addition, through the death of Jocasta, the reader is immediately attuned of Oedipus’ raging moment of violence and will be petrified by the overwhelming power of the gods, thus realizing the importance of being cautious before making a final choice. Indeed, after an individual settles on a decision, the gods take control of the person’s fate, hurling numerous consequences to him if he makes the wrong decision. Moreover, as Oedipus suddenly becomes the unintended victim of the gods through his sinful decision to execute Laius, he is forced to relinquish his predominate impetus for pridefulness in exchange for a heart of deep realization and forgiveness. At the end of the play, Oedipus sacrifices everything in order to remove his guilt through the consequences of his atrocious actions witnessed by the gods. After Oedipus realizes the astringent fate he was destined to encounter through his sinful murder of Laius, he immediately attempts to take responsibility for his
The impetus for the downfall of Oedipus, "Known far and wide by name" (Sophocles, 1), is his anger. Enraged he slew King Laius and in anger he hastily pursued his own ruination. From the aforementioned recriminations of Tiresias to the conflict with his brother-in-law Creon (his ill temper again displayed - "Tempers such as yours most grievous to their own selves to bear,... .(Sophocles, 25); through the revealing exchanges with his wife/mother Jocasta and her slave (whose pity saved the infant Oedipus), damming insight grows in a logical sequence, all the while fueled by the Oedipal rage. Realizing the heinous nature of his actions, Oedipus blinds himself in a fit of anger and remorse - now, as Tiresias, he can see.
Oedipus, Laius, and Jocasta believed they could cheat fate and that it was impossible for these prophecies to come to fruition. In their belief in what they had seen and observed, it was clearly shown they were always blind. They were unaware that they were ignorant and Apollo selectively gave them information, which guided them toward their demise. Once Jocasta realized that she married and had children with her son, she hung herself. Oedipus found out, which was the recognition in the tragedy, he ripped golden brooches from a gown and plunged them into his eyes, which was the reversal in the tragedy. This act of blinding himself was Oedipus’ catharsis. He was blind all along it was never luck guiding him to his rise in success. Oedipus was always guided by Apollo to reach great heights and then to plummet to the lowest of lows; making Oedipus the quintessential tragic