Blindness In Oedipus The King Essay - 725 Words

Blindness plays a two-fold part in Sophoclesamp;#8217; tragedy amp;#8220;Oedipus the King.; First, Sophocles presents blindness as a physical disability affecting the auger Teiresias, and later Oedipus; but later, blindness comes to mean an inability to see the evil in oneamp;#8217;s actions and the consequences that ensue. The irony in this lies in the fact that Oedipus, while gifted with sight, is blind to himself, in contrast to Teiresias, blind physically, but able to see the evil to which Oedipus has fallen prey to. Tragically, as Oedipus gains the internal gift of sight, he discards his outward gift of sight. Sight, therefore, seems to be like good and evil, a person may only choose one. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Teiresias,†¦show more content†¦Yet what distinguishes Teiresias from the others was his genuine concern for others amp;#8211; a concern that he voiced before demolishing Oedipus in front of the growing crowd outside of the palace. For Teiresias, the choice was simple amp;#8211; he chose to forego his disability and delve deeper into himself in order to find a sight that surpassed his physical limitations, a sight destined for good. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Oedipus, on the other hand, was not given such an easy decision. While gifted with an outward sense of sight, he lacked the knowledge of his own sinful actions - his hamartia, so to speak. Oedipus was seeing to others, but blind to himself. As he fled from Corinth, fearing a prophecy he received from an oracle, Oedipus showed complete blindness to the inevitability of his fate. The murder of his father, Laius, and the subsequent marriage to this mother, Jocasta, further elucidate the extent of Oedipusamp;#8217; blindness; blind in deed, reason, and consequence. Tragically, Oedipusamp;#8217; anagnorisis occurs simultaneously with his motheramp;#8217;s/wifeamp;#8217;s suicide. With a heart full of despair and a pair of newly opened eyes, Oedipus makes his transformation complete as he exchanges his limited physical eyesight for the spiritual sight possessed by Teiresias. With this being done, Oedipus also seals his fate amp;#8211; he no longer can serve evil,Sh ow MoreRelatedTheme Of Blindness In Oedipus The King781 Words   |  4 Pagesa Greek Drama Oedipus the King in which he incorporates how we, as humans, process pain and different ways of doing so. Oedipus the King is about Oedipus fulfilling a prophecy the Sphinx predicted. Throughout the story, Oedipus’ revelation to the Sphinx’s prophecy becomes so horrific to him that he, himself, ends up blind. Blindness is the focus of Oedipus the King in that Oedipus is blind to the truth about the prophecy and is reluctant to believe it. The three types of blindness that occur throughoutRead MoreSight And Blindness In Oedipus The King789 Words   |  4 PagesCaleb Cho Ms. Kim English 373H 5-October- 2017 Tension Between â€Å"Sight† and â€Å"Blindness† Essay - Rough Draft Deep in the forest lived a blind man named Carl. Once a week Carl would travel to the nearest city to buy supplies and food. One day, a young boy decided to play a trick on Carl, the boy would catch a bug, and then ask if the bug was alive or dead. If Carl said â€Å"alive† the boy would crush the bug and show Carl the bug was dead. If Carl answered â€Å"dead† the boy would let the bug fly away, aliveRead MoreSight and Blindness in Oedipus the King Essay1048 Words   |  5 PagesThe Irony of Sight and Knowledge in Oedipus the King People equate ‘seeing’ to gaining knowledge. Expressions such as â€Å"I see† and â€Å"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 becomingRead MoreThe Portrayal of Blindness in The Outsider and Oedipus the King1052 Words   |  5 PagesThe Portrayal of Blindness in The Outsider and Oedipus the King A primitive motif in Oedipus the King by Sophocles and The Outsider by Albert Camus is blindness. The protagonists in the novels are blinded to a personal truth, and are physically blinded as well. In The Outsider, Meursault’s blindness is metaphorical, as he is negligent to his own absurdity, which he later becomes categorized as. On the other hand, Oedipus’s blindness is literal, as he is ignorant to the truth of his life;Read MoreUse of Blindness in Oedipus the King Essay920 Words   |  4 Pagesin his plays, Wisdom stands out as the most impact full. After all, No law or ordinance is mightier than understanding(Plato 1/2). In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses the blindness of Teriesias, Jocasta, and Oedipus to point out how understanding is far greater than vision alone. In the play Oedipus the King, Sophocles use the blindness of Teiresias to point out the great power behind wisdom and understand. Teiresias, by your art you read signs and secrets of the earth and the sky;Read MoreEssay on Theme of Blindness in Sophocles Oedipus the King758 Words   |  4 PagesTheme of Blindness in Sophocles Oedipus the King Sophocles?s play, ?Oedipus the King? is one of the most well known of the Greek tragedies. The play?s interesting plot, along with the incredible way it is written are only two of the many reasons why two thousand years later, it is still being read and viewed. For those who are not familiar with the story of ?Oedipus the King?, it is written about the results of a curse put on King Oedipus which claims that he will murder his father and marryRead MoreEssay on Blindness and Sight - Lack of Vision in Oedipus The King910 Words   |  4 PagesBlindness in Oedipus The King (Rex) What is sight? Is it just the ability to recognize one’s surroundings or is there more? Is it knowledge? Is it understanding? Can a blind man see? Can the sighted be blind? And beyond, when the truth is too terrible, do we choose not to see? The phrase too see has so very many connotations. One meaning is to know or to understand and the other is based on the physical aspects of things. As humans, we are distracted by the physical world, which causes usRead More Blindness and Sight - Sight Versus Insight in Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)1357 Words   |  6 PagesSight Versus Insight in Oedipus the King      Ã‚  Ã‚   Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eye are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light,which is true of the minds eye, quite as much as the bodily eye; and he who remembers this when he sees anyone whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will ask whether that soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unableRead More Blindness, Sight and Eyes in Sophocles Oedipus The King Essay682 Words   |  3 PagesThe Deeper Meaning of Sight and Eyes in Sophocles Oedipus The King In Sophocles play, Oedipus The King, the continuous references to eyes and sight possess a much deeper meaning than the literal message. These allusions are united with several basic underlying themes. The story contains common Ancient Greek philosophies, including those of Plato and Parmenides, which are often discussed and explained during such references. A third notion is the punishment of those who violate the law ofRead More Oedipus the King by Sopohocles Essay1567 Words   |  7 PagesOedipus the King by Sopohocles Works Cited Not Included Throughout the play, Oedipus the King, Sophocles refers to site and blindness to relate attitudes and knowledge of the past. The irony of sight in this play can be marked by Oedipus’ inability to realize that which is evident to the reader. His extreme pride is his tragic flaw. It blinds him from the truth. Oedipus blinding himself symbolizes his increase of knowledge, his sensitivity, and gives him the ability to finally see. He