Essay on Sight and Blindness in Oedipus the King

Words: 1054
Pages: 5
Open Document
The Irony of Sight and Knowledge in Oedipus the King

People equate ‘seeing’ to gaining knowledge. Expressions such as “I see” and “seeing truth” are used to express understanding of something, but is seeing really the same as knowing? In Oedipus the King, Oedipus’s inability to grasp the truth is despite the fact that he is physically able to see contrasts Teiresias’s knowledge of the truth even though he is blind. The irony of the blind man being knowledgeable, and the seer becoming blind to the truth suggests that the idea that knowledge is not related to physical sight. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus is able to see but does not know the truth about who killed Laius. At the conclusion of the play, Oedipus is …show more content…
Teiresias wishes he did not know the truth because he knows it is traumatizing and will leave many people distraught when revealed. In contrast, Oedipus does not know and is desperate to. Simultaneously, speaking in literal terms, Oedipus has the means to “see the truth” whilst Teiresius does not. This quote on page 6 also using foreshadowing to hint to the audience that with truth comes pain, and at the end of the play, Oedipus gouges his eyes out. Teiresius tries to make several hints to Oedipus of what is coming his way, for example, when he says “You with your precious eyes, you’re blind to the corruption of your life, to the house you live in, those who live with - who are your parents?” (11). This is a direct reference to Oedipus being blind about who he is and where he comes from, however Oedipus perceives this as a direct attack from Teiresius. As a result of this, Oedipus tries to defend himself by mocking Teiresius about being blind. Teiresius replies with a line which contains strong foreshadowing, and clearly states what Sophocles is trying to tell the audience about blindness; “You mock my blindness do you? But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind” (33).

The definition of a seer is both a prophet and a person who has the physical ability to see. This creates another example of dramatic irony in the play that is not as obvious the other examples. Teiresius is a prophet, however he cannot see, on the
Show More

Related Documents: Essay on Sight and Blindness in Oedipus the King

WaneneEdna Oedipus Essay

Light vs Darkness Sight vs Blindness Knowledge vs Lack of Knowledge Line 426 ● Blind, lost in the night, endless night that nursed you! You can’t hurt me or anyone who sees the light. Line 529 ● “The horror too dark to tell, whose ruthless, bloody hands have done the work?” Line 561 ● Zeus and Apollo know, they know the great masters of all the dark and depth of human life. But whether a mere man can know the truth, whether a seer can fathom more than I­­­there is no test…

Words 1376 - Pages 6

Oedipus Essay

Blindness vs. Sight Blindness versus sight is a prevalent theme in “Oedipus the King”. Usually, people equate knowledge with sight. Expressions like “I see” and “seeing the truth” are used to express the understanding of something, but in this case, seeing is not the same as knowing. Oedipus, who is not literally blind, is blinded by the ambition to find the killer of Laius. All the while, Oedipus is the one who killed Laius. His ambition and his blindness is what eventually lead to his downfall…

Words 404 - Pages 2

Oedipus The King Blindness

a very accurate representation of Oedipus’ journey in the Greek play Oedipus the King. According to Bolívar, the characteristic that makes an individual unaware and uniformed is the distinctive feature that causes their own devastation in their life. An ignorance of the truth is one of the main themes of Oedipus the King and this is represented through the motif of blindness, due to the fact that key characters are described as figuratively blind thus blindness drives the story to its climax and…

Words 1199 - Pages 5

Oedipus and Mrs. Clark English Essay

Alsabahi, Firdous Mrs. Clark English December 14, 2014 Oedipus the King “There are two way’s to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”- Soren Kierkegaard. Often in life people are put in that a have you blind to the truth. The truth and honesty are both powerful but they can harm a person as well. Many people like Oedipus the king would rather stay blind to the truth then to find out the horrid truth that you are destined to have a fate that…

Words 780 - Pages 4

Oedipus Rex Research Paper

the world’s greatest tragedies was Oedipus Rex written by a Greek philosopher, Sophocles. It was written during the Peloponnesian War. Oedipus Rex was a hero who made himself a savior for the city of Thebes. With that great achievement and many others came an ultimate defeat. That defeat was out of anyone’s control. The various symbols throughout the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex help illustrate the theme that fate is inevitable. Sophocles used the symbol of sight which represents how the characters…

Words 628 - Pages 3

Essay Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex the Blind King Sophocles is one of the few Greek Tragedians whose plays have survived to this day. One of his most famous works is, Oedipus Rex. Oedipus Rex is a play about the King of Thebes, who needs to save his kingdom from a deathly plague. The only way to do so is to solve the murder of the late King Laios. However, when Oedipus was young he was cursed with a prophecy that said he was doomed to kill his father and marry his mother. While solving the murder Oedipus realizes the…

Words 845 - Pages 4

Essay about Oedipus Rex

words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, dramatic irony is used in almost every other sentence. The whole play is structured around what would be one immense case of dramatic irony. The biggest being how Oedipus is searching for the killer of Lauis, which is truly he. Dramatic irony plays a vital role in Oedipus the King. Throughout the play various characters attempt to run from their fate, thinking they changed…

Words 846 - Pages 4

Essay about Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex

In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the themes of sight and blindness are developed in a way to communicate to the reader that it is not eyesight itself, but insight that holds the key to truth and, without it, no amount of knowledge can help uncover that truth. Some may define insight as the ability to intuitively know what is going to happen, or simply as the capacity to understand the true nature of a situation. Both definitions hold a significant role in the play, not only for more obvious…

Words 1311 - Pages 6

Oedipus The King Research Paper

in their lives. In the Greek tragedy “Oedipus of The King” by Sophocles, the author shows readers that through pride, people put themselves in a dangerous position that they can easily fall. Sophocles begins telling a story of a man whose destiny is born to kill his father and marry his mother. Realizing how dangerous it is, his father, Laius, King of the Thebes sends him away with a hope he will never go back. In contrast, the son is saved and named Oedipus. As he grows up, he kills his father on…

Words 969 - Pages 4

Motifs In Oedipus The King

symbols take place in the story of Oedipus. The idea of sight and blindness comes into play continuously through the story. It asks the question of whether one must see concepts to believe them or if one can simply notice them. Another repeated theme in the drama is illness and pain in general. The concept of crossroads repeats also throughout the story. Crossroads can symbolize questions and decisions throughout life. In the ancient Greek drama, Oedipus the King, many motifs take place to shape the…

Words 620 - Pages 3