Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Creon character analysis from oedipus the king
Creon character analysis from oedipus the king
Creon character analysis from oedipus the king
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Creon character analysis from oedipus the king
In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses blindness as an important motif to deliver a message by making Oedipus "blind" both literally and metaphorically. Throughout the story Oedipus tends to avoid "seeing" the truth about his prophecy, while Tiresias ' physical blindness allows him to "see" the truth. The symbolism of sight versus blindness motif is a representation of the idea of knowledge versus ignorance. Sophocles uses this important motif as the tragic flaw of Oedipus that leads him to a path of utter suffering. Oedipus is very sure about who he is and where he has come from. Throughout the story he avoids questioning that knowledge even when others have presented proof of credibility. Instead, Oedipus claims that everyone else around him is blind, …show more content…
Oedipus situation relates into Shakespeare quote “Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven”. Oedipus is an impulsive and passionate man, which leads him to fulfill the prophecy that has haunts him since birth. He departs the kingdom of Corinthian in order to avoid his fate of killing his father only to bring himself closer to the prophecy by killing his father on the way. He kills his father on a crossroad a symbol of choice, he chose to follow his own Will and escape his fate but he was blinded that will to the reality that he was accomplishing the fate he ran away from. Along the way he cannot control his temper and this personality flaw leads him to his our destruction. Blinded by ignorance and pride drives him to accuse Creon of trying to overthrow him. Sophocles use the blindness of Tiresias to point out the great power behind wisdom and understand through Oedipus situation. He sends the message that wisdom, knowledge are important aspects of life one should have because without them we are we will forced down a path of suffering and destruction. Humans have power when they have knowledge and insight but that power is liable to error because in reality we are all flawed with blindness to the truth and our own destruction can be an inner force that eats us out until we are forced to face the truth. With desires to find the truth and fear of finding the truth odious was fighting an inner losing battle within himself that drives to our having to carry the burden of guilt over the death of his father and being an embarrassment to his families legacy. This blindness motif plays into the plays theme that wisdom is knowledge and that the pursuit of knowledge can be futile. If wisdom was one of Oedipus strong suit he would have killed his father creating a chain reaction of
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.
Oedipus the King conveys many lessons that are relevant to people living today despite the fact that it was written by Sophocles twenty four centuries ago. Oedipus is a child destined to kill his father and marry his mother. During his life, he makes many mistakes trying to avoid his fate. These mistakes teach us about the nature of humans under certain circumstances. Oedipus possesses personality traits which causes him to make wrong decisions. Attributes like arrogance and his inability to make calm decisions in certain scenarios due to his anger causes his downfall. Oedipus’ excessive pride, like many people today, was an important factor that brought him grief. Oedipus’ lack of patience caused him to make hasty decisions which lead him to his greatest agony. Oedipus’ massive ego turned into excessive vanity, this was the first step to his downfall. Oedipus talks to Creon about the murderer of Laius. He declares, “Then I’ll go back and drag that shadowed past to light… but by myself and for myself I’ll break this plague” (Sophocles, 11). Oedipus is saying that he will be the on...
This is the foundation for why Oedipus was blinded to his fate. Though Tiresias, the blind prophet, lacks the ability to see with his natural eyes, he possesses an insight into the lives of others. Oedipus believes his act of self-blinding was a justification and payment for his actions. It required a blind man to show Oedipus his own blind state of the tragic fate that was set before him. Oedipus believes his act of self-blinding was a payment for his actions he did according to his destiny. Now, he is no longer in a state to inflict plagues and heartbreak on those around him. Oedipus the king, now Oedipus the commoner, pays the ultimate price for the deeds he has done, permanent exile from those he loves and holds
Blindness and vision are used as motifs in the play "Oedipus Rex," which are also the tragic flaws of the hero. Vision refers to both literal and metaphorical blindness. The frequent references to sight, light, eyes, and perception are used throughout the play. When Oedipus refuses to believe Tiersias, Tiersias responds by saying "have you eyes" and "do you not see your own damnation?" Tiersias also says "those now clear-seeing eyes shall then be darkened." The reference to sight has a double meaning. Oedipus is famed for his clear-sightedness and quick comprehension. He was able to "see" the answer to the Sphinx's riddle, yet ironically, he lacks the ability to see the truth about his own identity. Oedipus has become the very disease he wishes to remove from Thebes.
“…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 the King, also known as Oedipus Rex was a tragic play written by Sophocles around 429 BC. The story of Oedipus is one of blindness, growth, deception, and fate, and Sophocles gives the reader several shocks throughout the play. The play begins with the citizens of Thebes begging their ruler, Oedipus to lift the plague that is causing their city to come to ruins. His brother-in-law Creon returns with news from the Oracle at Delphi stating that they must find the murderer of the previous king of Thebes, Laius. Oedipus quickly sets out to attempt to solve this mystery. Oedipus then calls upon the blind seer Tiresias to tell him who killed Laius. Upon finding out that Tiresias has told Oedipus that he is the murderer, he sends Tiresias away. While leaving, Tiresias explains the marriage between a
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.
“Blindness”, the state in which someone is unwilling or unable to perceive or understand. This definition becomes the underlying motif in Steven Spielberg’s, “Minority Report” and Sophocles’, “Oedipus the King” as both protagonists struggle to come to terms with their actions and the reality they have put themselves in. Both the film and play employ the use of blindness through loss of vision and physical sight but also through the understanding of the past and future killings which predominate the storyline. In some aspects central elements of play are not only featured but emphasized in the film. Particularly, the film shares emphasis on symbolic vision of committing a murder, balancing on a pedestal of future, fate, and freewill.
"How dreadful knowledge of truth can be when there is no help in truth! I knew this well but did not act on it; else I should not have come" (Line 101). Tiresias admits his grief to Oedipus and tells him that it is his job to tell the truth. Although Oedipus cannot see past reality, Tiresias, who is literally blind, sees the truth in Oedipus’s life. "But I say you, with both eyes, are blind: you cannot see the wretchedness of your life..." (196). As Oedipus argues with Tiresias, he says in return, “You blame my temper but you do not see your own that lives within you; it is me you chide” (369-72).
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.
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.
" Sight" and "Blindness" can be considered one of the main and most important themes in Oedipus Tyrannus. The themes of blindness and sight can be looked at both metaphorically and literally. When defining both physical and Metaphorical blindness, the following definitions are very useful: to be physically blind is, naturally, to be "unable to see," and metaphorical blindness is an " inability or unwillingness to understand or discern." Throughout the play, throughout the play Sophocles keeps these two components at the center of the action and uses them to create dramatic irony. When reading this play the reader must take in to account who can "see" and who is "blind" either figuratively and literally.
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses Oedipus and various other characters to convey the theme of blindness. King Oedipus ruled over Thebes, after solving the Sphinx’s riddle. After Oedipus is victorious over the sphinx, Oedipus becomes swollen with hubris leading into his figurative and literal blindness throughout the book. The author, Sophocles uses a blind seer to convey the sense that a physically blind man can know more about the issues concerning Thebes over their respected rulers Oedipus, and Jocasta who were not physically blind like the blind seer. Oedipus was not only just blind to the issues concerning Thebes he was blind to almost everything else. Then when the truth comes out blindness is even emphasized more with Oedipus blinding his self physically. His hubris is caused by many things one may be him thinking he has evaded his cursed prophecy, and even having his own townspeople pray to him as if he were one of the God’s. Blindness in Oedipus Rex was both literal and figurative. People can be physically blind as well as be blinded by the truth figuratively.
There is an old saying “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” What this is saying is that people are blind in what they see (ignorant) and what they are willing to see. Even some with the best vision can be blind. It is all about what we want to see, which can be very misleading and can cause issues like it did for Oedipus. We all can be blinded by the truth if we are ignorant and foolish. In Oedipus the King, we see two common themes, Sight vs. Blindness which is demonstrated both intellectually and physically. There are five instances that really stick out to me where we see Oedipus blinded physically and by his ignorance and hubris.
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.