Symbolism In Oedipus Rex

I chose Hermes’ caduceus, an eye, and a sphinx as symbols for Oedipus. I chose Hermes’ caduceus to symbolize the messages and travel of Oedipus. Throughout the story, Oedipus had been relayed numerous different messages about his upbringing, parents, and life. Furthermore, Oedipus and his kinsmen travel to learn the truth of his origins. The caduceus was placed on Oedipus’ left hand to represent how he carried these messages and experiences with him. I chose an eye on Oedipus’ spine to represent his arrogance, blindness, and purpose. The eye is featured on his backbone to symbolize his objective, as well as, his failure to see. The eye is extremely symbolic to Oedipus due to his struggle throughout the story to discover his prophesized “destiny”.

The sphinx is located on his spine to show how his actions caused him to become prideful of his intelligence, consequently leading it to become the foundation of his blindness. Overall, Oedipus was egotistically blind to his foretold future and past; additionally, him defeating the sphinx added to his hubris. Three quotations from “Oedipus the King” illuminate Oedipus’ character extremely well. Oedipus states, “Blind, lost in the night, endless night that nursed you! You can’t hurt me or anyone else that sees the light – you can never touch me”, (Sophocles, p. 273). This quote exemplifies Oedipus’ arrogance and self-constructed invincibility. In addition, it adds to the dramatic irony of his sight, as he says that he sees the “light”, although, the audience knows he is figuratively blind. We placed this quote around Oedipus’ head to represent his mindset towards himself and

These quotations aid the reader in understanding how prideful and misguided Oedipus truly is. The colors we chose to associate with Oedipus are enormously important in character analysis, as well as, showing symbolism throughout “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles. Purple was used on the crown, “power”, and “incest”, foundation to represent royalty and pride. Red was used to symbolize the pain he felt towards his prophecy, Jocasta’s death, and moreover, his rage towards those who challenged what he previously thought was true about himself. Red was also used to symbolize his love for Thebes and its citizens. Brown was used for the caduceus and sphinx to symbolize his groundings/foundations and healing. As the story progresses, Oedipus is always relying on his rocky foundations and trying to mend himself as he faces critical points in his life. Green was used for the word “prophecy” as well as the quote Oedipus states, “Seeing nothing, children, knowing nothing, I became your father, I fathered you in the soil that gave me life”, (Sophocles, p.