R. Chodkowski describe two main ways of interpreting Sophocles Oedipus Rex, as far as the main theme of the tragedy is concerned; “The first one could be marked “the tragedy about infallibility or power of divinity”, the second could be labelled “the tragedy of arriving at the truth” ” (Grelka 2013). It is the view of this author that Sophocles intended a much more progressive concept for his ancient Greek audience than simply the “infallibility of divinity”, that the main idea of Sophocles work leans more towards a tragedy of enlightenment and a critique of the conflict between the pursuit of truth and the danger inherent in the knowledge of that truth. By looking at Sophocles extensive use of dramatic irony, his inclusion and use of the character of Tiresias, the seer, as well as the prevalent use of light and dark imagery, alongside the motif of blindness, this essay will show that Sophocles Oedipus was intended to present a cautionary tale to the burgeoning intellectual movement within Athenian society that the reckless pursuit of knowledge, without the wisdom to understand, can be damning.
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The story of Oedipus was a well-known myth even in ancient Greece, with variations and fragments recorded as far back as Homer in the 8th century BCE. Sophocles consistently toys with this foreknowledge to underpin the question of Oedipus’ actual intellect and perceptiveness to the audience and to highlight his apparent hubris, a sign that would signal to the audience Oedipus’ eventual
The story of Oedipus was a well-known myth even in ancient Greece, with variations and fragments recorded as far back as Homer in the 8th century BCE. Sophocles consistently toys with this foreknowledge to underpin the question of Oedipus’ actual intellect and perceptiveness to the audience and to highlight his apparent hubris, a sign that would signal to the audience Oedipus’ eventual