Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex
It is easy for a person that has great vision and can see clearly to be blinded by the truth. The Greek play, Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes the king of Thebes, while unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his own mother. One of the main themes in this play is blindness: physical blindness, which is lacking the sense of sight; and intellectual blindness, which is the refusal to accept knowledge. In the play, Teiresias is physically blind, but he is more knowledgeable of the truth than Oedipus. Oedipus hoping Teiresais can shed some light on the plague affecting his city says to him, “though knowest, though thy blinded eyes see naught.”(20). Teiresias is the prophet in this Greek tragedy; even though he was physically blind, he had the ability to see the future. Teiresias revealed …show more content…
He had no idea who his real parents were, and that he was indeed living out a prophecy. Teiresias told Oedipus “thou hast eyes, yet see’st not in what misery thou art fallen, nor where thou dwellest nor with whom for mate.” (28). The prophet is simply trying to shed some light to Oedipus on his current situation and what his future hold. Oedipus, being intellectually blind, fails to see what Teiresias is trying to show him. When Oedipus learns where Laius was actually murdered, he remembered that he had killed a man at that very same location. He was hesitant to believe since “the herdsman said Laius was slain by robbers.” (59). It is becoming obvious to Oedipus that the prophet was telling him the truth as more evidence keeps presenting itself. Instead, he kept searching for more proof, in hopes that he would be wrong. When he finally opens his eyes to see what he had done, he gouges his eyes out, thus physically blinding himself to the reality around him. Just as Teiresias, Oedipus is now physically blind but open to the
It is easy for a person that has great vision and can see clearly to be blinded by the truth. The Greek play, Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the story of Oedipus, a man who becomes the king of Thebes, while unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his own mother. One of the main themes in this play is blindness: physical blindness, which is lacking the sense of sight; and intellectual blindness, which is the refusal to accept knowledge. In the play, Teiresias is physically blind, but he is more knowledgeable of the truth than Oedipus. Oedipus hoping Teiresais can shed some light on the plague affecting his city says to him, “though knowest, though thy blinded eyes see naught.”(20). Teiresias is the prophet in this Greek tragedy; even though he was physically blind, he had the ability to see the future. Teiresias revealed …show more content…
He had no idea who his real parents were, and that he was indeed living out a prophecy. Teiresias told Oedipus “thou hast eyes, yet see’st not in what misery thou art fallen, nor where thou dwellest nor with whom for mate.” (28). The prophet is simply trying to shed some light to Oedipus on his current situation and what his future hold. Oedipus, being intellectually blind, fails to see what Teiresias is trying to show him. When Oedipus learns where Laius was actually murdered, he remembered that he had killed a man at that very same location. He was hesitant to believe since “the herdsman said Laius was slain by robbers.” (59). It is becoming obvious to Oedipus that the prophet was telling him the truth as more evidence keeps presenting itself. Instead, he kept searching for more proof, in hopes that he would be wrong. When he finally opens his eyes to see what he had done, he gouges his eyes out, thus physically blinding himself to the reality around him. Just as Teiresias, Oedipus is now physically blind but open to the