Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Sophocles’ use of blindness in oedipus the king
Sophocles’ use of blindness in oedipus the king
Essays on blindness by jose saramago
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Sophocles’ use of blindness in oedipus the king
In José Saramongo’s novel Blindness, he states, “I think we are blind, Blind but seeing, Blind people who can see, but do not see.” He explains that people think they can see, but they are truly blind because they are blind to certain ideas or matters that are essential. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Ian McEwan’s Atonement, and Albert Camus’ The Stranger, characters’ blindness causes them to act irrationally, which often has fatal repercussions.
In Oedipus Rex, Oedipus is blind to the possible consequences of discovering the truth, which leads to his irrational actions. When Oedipus was born, he was cursed with a prophecy that he would murder his father and marry his mother. He does fulfill this prophecy, albeit unknowingly. During the investigation to find the murderer of Oedipus’ father, King Laius, Tiresias, a blind prophet, accuses Oedipus of being “the murderer that [he] hunt[s]” (Sophocles 413). The prophet can see the truth about Oedipus’ life. This is ironic because the prophet is blind, whereas Oedipus can see, but is blind to the truth. Oedipus reacts to this accusation with rage, and yells that Tiresias “can’t hurt [him] or anyone else who sees the light” (Sophocles 426). Oedipus declares that he can see the light since he is not physically blind; however, the light represents the truth, which is something that he cannot see. This further displays his blindness because he does not realize how blind he truly is. His blindness causes him to act irrationally by becoming obsessed with finding the story of his birth, even though his wife, Jacosta, begs him not to. Once she discovers the truth that she is his wife and also his mother, she asks him “in the name of god,” to “call off [his] search” (Sophocles 1163). Oedipus, how...
... middle of paper ...
...quences that come with revealing the truth, Briony is blind to the consequences of her own actions, and Meursault blinded by the sun, which completely overtakes him. All three characters experience unhappy endings due to their blindness. Oedipus is banished from his kingdom, Briony ruins her relationships and must spend her whole life trying to atone, and Meursault is sentenced to the death penalty. Their tragic endings display the fatal repercussions of blindness, and the full extent to which it can impact people’s lives.
Works Cited
Camus, Albert. The Stranger. 1942. Trans. Matthew Ward. New York: Vintage
International, 1989. Print.
McEwan, Ian. Atonement. New York: Anchor Books, 2003. Print.
Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays: Antigone, Oedipus the King, Oedipus at
Colonus. Trans. Robert Fagles. Harmondsworth: Penguin Classics, 1984.
Print.
In the play when Oedipus asks Teiresias to reveal the murderer of King Laois, Teiresias blames Oedipus as the murderer and Oedipus denies the blame and gets angry on Teiresias. The chorus even denies the blame on Oedipus and takes Oedipus’ side. The chorus says the following lines to protect Oedipus “This is the king who solved the famous riddle, and towered up, most powerful of men. No mortal eyes but looked on him with envy, Yet in the end ruin swept over him”(Freud 988). Oedipus on the other hand who is really mad at Teiresias blames him and Creon for plotting against him. As Oedipus was blind from the start he was unaware of his origins which will cause him to trigger the unavoidable chain of events that would lead to the fulfilment of the prophecy. But he didn’t knew the fate itself was unavoidable. The irony of theme sight and blindness is produced here when Oedipus is compared to Teiresias. Oedipus who is not blind and has the capability to see with both of his eyes doesn’t finds anything wrong in killing a man, who he later discovers was King Laois and his group. He even took over the throne of Thebes and was found to be lying with his mother thinking her as his wife and having babies with her. On the other hand is Teiresias who is really blind and unable to see than...
The first of Oedipus’ fatal traits is naiveté, a flaw which causes him to unknowingly weave his own inescapable web of complications. While searching for the murderer of Laius, Creon recommends that Oedipus ask the blind prophet, Teiresias, for his thoughts. Teiresias and Oedipus begin an argument after the prophet accuses Oedipus as the murderer, and Oedipus retaliates by calling the blind man a fool. Teiresias responds with “A fool? Your parents thought me sane enough.” To which Oedipus then replies “My parents again!- Wait: who were my parents” (Sophocles, Oedipus Rex. 1.1. 423-424)? Oedipus’ naiveté regarding his parents plays a big part in his downfall because he does not know that Laius and Jocasta were his real parents. If he knows this at the time, then Oedipus could realize Teiresias is correct, and that he truly is the murderer. Another proof of Oedipus’ naiveté occurred in the second scene of part one when Oedipus returns after his talk with Teiresias and believes Creon is an enemy. He speaks towards Creon saying “You speak well: there is one fact; but I find it hard/ To learn from the deadliest enemy I have” (Sophocles, Oedipus Rex. 1.2. 5...
In Colonus, the blind see and the seeing are blinded. Perfect irony. A prime example of the blind seeing is Oedipus, the “tragic hero.” Though physically blinded, he discerns things that others ignore. By relying on the aid of Antigone, he learns compassion and humility. “Friend, my daughter’s eyes serve for my own.” (83) While some men are able to view the outside world, their own pride blinds them to the reality of what they are seeing. But through the horrible blindness that Oedipus endures, he is finally able to let go of his arrogance and rely on others, an image that recalls Tiresias and his wisdom. “Stranger: ‘What service can a blind man render him?’ Oedipus: ‘All I say will be clear-sighted indeed.’” (86). But all humans endure an intangible blindness, to a greater or lesser degree.
The blind prophet who tells Oedipus that the murderer he is intent on finding is, in fact, himself
People may be blinded to truth, and may not realize what truth is, even if truth is standing in front of them. They will never see truth becase they are blind to it. In Oedipus Rex by Sophocles it is easy to see how blindness affects the transition of the story. It is said that blind people see “in a different manner” because they sense the world in a totally diferent way, such as Teiresias in the play. Oedipus Rex is a tragedy due to the content the Sophocles, the playwright, decided to include, first, murdering his father, king Laius, then marrying his mother, Jocasta, and ending by blinding himself. Oedipus has been blinded to the truth all his life. Eventually, when he seeks the truth he intentionally loses his physical vision, and because of this, blinds himself. Furthermore, Jocasta does not see the true identity of Oedipus, and when she truly sees it, she refuses to accept the truth. Therefore, blindness does not always depict ignorance.
“…they will never see the crime I have committed or had done upon me!” These are the words Oedipus shouted as he blinds himself upon learning the truth of his past. It is ironic how a person blessed with perfect physical vision could in reality be blind to to matters of life and conscience. During his prime as King of Thebes, Oedipus is renowned for his lucidity and his ability to rule with a clear concept of justice and equality. The people loved him for his skill and wit, as he saved Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx. As a result, Oedipus became overly confident, and refuses to see that he may be the cause of the malady that is plaguing his kingdom. Although physically Oedipus has full use of his eyes, Sophocles uses sight to demonstrate how Oedipus is blind to the truth about his past what it might me for both him and his kingdom. Upon learning the truth, Oedipus gouges out his eyes, so he won’t have to look upon his children, or the misfortune that is his life. Once physically unable to see, Oedipus has clear vision as to his fate, and what must be done for his kingdom and his family
Oedipus is very knowledgeable during the play and at some times still extremely ignorant. He doesn’t always put pieces together. When they are right in front of him. Many people in the play call him ignorant when he still believes that he is knowledgeable. Tiresias says “ All ignorant! And I refuse to link my utterance with a downfall such as yours” (19). In this quote Tiresias means that Oedipus is ignorant even though he acts like he knows everything. Oedipus does not know what Tiresias knows and that is that the curse, which stated the Oedipus would marry his mother, has come true. Tiresias can see what will happen when Oedipus finds out that Jocasta is really his mother and wants to prevent that from happening. When Tiresias does not tell Oedipus the information he seeks he gets angry. Tiresias also has another quote that goes along with knowledge verses ignorance. Tiresias states “I’m blind, you say; you mock at that! I say you see and still are blind-appallingly: Blind to your origins and to a union in your house. Yes, ask yourself where are you from. You’d never guess what hate is dormant in your home or buried with your dear ones dead, or how a mother’s and a fathers curse will one day scourge you with its double thongs and whip you staggering from the land. It shall be night where you now boast the day.” (23). This quote says a lot. First Tiresias accuses Oedipus for mocking him yet still not knowing the information that he knows. Which is the curse. He accuses Oedipus for being blind also and not knowing the truth of his origins, which are from a different mother, and then he grew up with. He doesn’t see he has married his mother. In one part of the quote it states “Yes, ask your self where are you from”. Tiresias is hinting at the fact even though Oedipus thinks he’s extremely knowledgeable he’s ignorant because he doesn’t know where he is from.
In the beginning of the play, Oedipus has perfect physical vision. However, he is blind and ignorant to the truth about himself and his past. He desperately wants to know, to see, but he cannot. Oedipus' blindness which must be considered is that many times throughout the course of the action he is warned not to pursue the matter any further, for fear that the truth could be damaging to him as the prophesies would suggests. The events are made all the more tragic at the point where he thinks he can 'see' when he at last realizes that he is in fact the murderer of Laius, and yet he is still blind to the final horrible truth. To make the situation worst Jocasta his wife advises Oedipus not to pursue the matter further: "Stop-in the name of god, ….call off this search!" Jocasta has seen the truth but Oedipus is only worried in she finds out he was not of noble birth.
The novel Blindness The sinners dealt with in our past novels and the present novel Blindness empathetically been assigned the trait of ignorance. Thus, providing the root of sin and degration of lives, as relating to the treatment of people in the short story Somni in the novel Cloud Atlas. Focusing on Blindness, the ungreedy are horribly dealt with by the thugs with a "conscience with teeth to bite" (18). This quality of man is the result of how humans sometimes favor short-term luxuries over long term consequences. This can be related to the car thief of the blind man near the beginning of the novel. So evidently, Saramago uses greed for fuel of ignorance to corrupt reason in this novel, and diagnoses the "sensual appetite" (171) of humans as a natural trait. The desperation of some people described of some people described in this novel such as the thieves, or the careless mad madmen who trampled over the blind relies on a psychological attempt to "escape their black destiny" and the reassuration from future hope(112).
Then when the truth comes out, blindness is even emphasized more with Oedipus blinding himself physically. His hubris is caused by many things, one may be him thinking he has evaded his cursed prophecy, and even having his own townspeople pray to him as if he were one of the God’s. Blindness in Oedipus Rex is both literal and figurative. People can be physically blind as well as figuratively blinded by the truth. Oedipus was born with a terrible prophecy.
In literature, blindness serves a general significant meaning of the absence of knowledge and insight. In life, physical blindness usually represents an inability or handicap, and those people afflicted with it are pitied. The act of being blind can set limitations on the human mind, thus causing their perception of reality to dramatically change in ways that can cause fear, personal insecurities, and eternal isolation. However, “Cathedral” utilizes blindness as an opportunity to expand outside those limits and exceed boundaries that can produce a compelling, internal change within an individual’s life. Those who have the ability of sight are able to examine and interpret their surroundings differently than those who are physically unable to see. Carver suggests an idea that sight and blindness offer two different perceptions of reality that can challenge and ultimately teach an individual to appreciate the powerful significance of truly seeing without seeing. Therefore, Raymond Carver passionately emphasizes a message that introduces blindness as not a setback, but a valuable gift that can offer a lesson of appreciation and acceptance toward viewing the world in a more open-minded perspective.
"How dreadful knowledge of truth can be when there is no help in truth! I knew this well but did not act on it; else I should not have come" (Line 101). Tiresias admits his grief to Oedipus and tells him that it is his job to tell the truth. Although Oedipus cannot see past reality, Tiresias, who is literally blind, sees the truth in Oedipus’s life. "But I say you, with both eyes, are blind: you cannot see the wretchedness of your life..." (196). As Oedipus argues with Tiresias, he says in return, “You blame my temper but you do not see your own that lives within you; it is me you chide” (369-72).
In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses blindness as an important motif to deliver a message by making Oedipus "blind" both literally and metaphorically. Throughout the story Oedipus tends to avoid "seeing" the truth about his prophecy, while Tiresias ' physical blindness allows him to "see" the truth. The symbolism of sight versus blindness motif is a representation of the idea of knowledge versus ignorance. Sophocles uses this important motif as the tragic flaw of Oedipus that leads him to a path of utter suffering. Oedipus is very sure about who he is and where he has come from. Throughout the story he avoids questioning that knowledge even when others have presented proof of credibility. Instead, Oedipus claims that everyone else around him is blind,
In pages 70-72 ( “The barbarians stand outlined against the sky above us...too late now”) of J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians which is the selected passage in which the magistrate’s blindness creates a denial of responsibility. “Blindness” reveals how the magistrate believes he is superior over the barbarians, ironically similar to a trait Joll has. However, he feels an inability to dehumanize and torture the “others”. The passage starts out with the magistrate, his men and what she is referred to in the book, barbarian girl traveling up the slope towards the horsemen. The girl has to make a choice of joining her people or returning back to the settlement. The magistrate wants her to return to the settlement
The impetus for the downfall of Oedipus, "Known far and wide by name" (Sophocles, 1), is his anger. Enraged he slew King Laius and in anger he hastily pursued his own ruination. From the aforementioned recriminations of Tiresias to the conflict with his brother-in-law Creon (his ill temper again displayed - "Tempers such as yours most grievous to their own selves to bear,... .(Sophocles, 25); through the revealing exchanges with his wife/mother Jocasta and her slave (whose pity saved the infant Oedipus), damming insight grows in a logical sequence, all the while fueled by the Oedipal rage. Realizing the heinous nature of his actions, Oedipus blinds himself in a fit of anger and remorse - now, as Tiresias, he can see.