Sight Vs Blindness In Oedipus

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People tend to be blinded by the truth at times. Usually, the solution to their question is right under their nose and yet, still can’t see the answer. Blinded by the truth is what they call it. Many associations between being blind and enlightened have been made. It has been said that a blind person have the ability to see invisible things. They are able to “see” into the future. Though they don’t have physical sight, they still have another type of vision. In the play Sophocles’ King Oedipus, Teiresias, the blind prophet, told King Oedipus and Queen Jocasta the truth. Oedipus have been blinded his whole life about the truth and when he finally realizes the truth, he physically blinds himself. Jocasta, as well was blinded by the real identity of her son/husband Oedipus and still when she found out the truth, she refused to accept it. In this situation, those who were blind ultimately do have a higher vision, which is the truth. In this essay I will prove the motif of sight vs. blindness.
Blindness played a major role in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Blindness is presented as a physical disability that affects Teiresias and as not being able to see the truth which Oedipus was “blinded” as well. The irony that is at hand is the fact that Oedipus who was born with the gift of sight is basically blind, but on the other hand, Teiresias , who is blind physically but is able to see all evil acts committed. Unfortunately, as Oedipus gains the gift of sight internally, he discards his physical outward sight. Sight is something like good and evil, one can choose one or the other. Teiresias who was the prophet of Phoebus was troubled with blindness to the physical world but had the gift of sight in the spiritual world. This gift gave him ...

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...e knew how to deal with it was by killing herself. Her blindness was her downfall.
Metaphorical blindness may be more of a challenge than basic blindness. One who is blind may already know that they will most likely be blind for the rest of their lives and learn how to deal with it. On the other hand, when one is blind to the truth, the only thing that is left to do is learn the truth on their own. Until that person learn the truth, they may never feel like they or in the wrong and when there is finally some enlightenment, they feel unknowledgable. Thoughts on how the outcome could have been different begin to arise. When Jocasta found out the truth, her way of dealing with it was by committing suicide. In this play, being blind led to the truth and the truth led to being blind. Jocasta, Teiresias, and Oedipus were all blind and yet all of them found out the truth.

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