Examples Of Figurative Blindness In Oedipus The King

Throughout Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, blindness repeatedly presents itself as an obstacle in the acquisition of knowledge. The sightless prophet Teiresias clarifies, however, that not all knowledge is equal; rather, he distinguishes between different types of blindness and the distinct forms of knowledge that generally correspond to them. Literal blindness, an archetypal affliction of prophets, is dependent on divine knowledge. In Oedipus, this is exemplified by Teiresias himself, whose separation from the perceptible world is necessary in order to for him to receive the truths of the gods. Figurative blindness, on the contrary, is closely tied to the perceptible world. Those who are figuratively blind are so because they only rely on sensory knowledge. However, there is a third type of knowledge implied by Teiresias that comes from man’s capacity for …show more content…
Teiresias speaks of Oedipus’ blindness as what “drive[s him] forth from this land” on an “unlucky voyage” to unforgiving harbors. His focus on movement demonstrates that there is a spatially horizontal separation between the Theban king and his humanity. Furthermore, the use of “Cithaeron” as Oedipus’ final destination connects horizontal separation with death, thereby portraying it as lethal. This contrasts directly with how Teiresias is separated from humanity: he views his blindness as a necessary function of being a “slave” to the higher powers, and as a result, he accomplishes a vertical separation from the perceptible world in which he abandons sensory knowledge for that of the divine. With this comparison in mind, Oedipus’ lack of vertical insight by the end of the play suggests that, even after being forced to learn his true identity, he still lacks metaphysical understanding. This leaves him susceptible to being “steered” rather than being able to determine his own