Knowledge is any truthful information, good or bad, that encourages awareness of self and society. Just as Oedipus solved the Sphinx’s riddle with his quick intuition, humans have a remarkable capacity for knowledge and insight; however, even the most knowledgeable person is seen to struggle. This comes to show that knowledge is limited in human capability and to acquire more knowledge there is a consequence. Using characterization in Oedipus the King, Sophocles illustrates the idea of balance between knowledge and suffering to demonstrate the limitations and burdens of acquiring knowledge in human experience.
Teiresias is a prophet “versed in everything” (300). Being given the “gift of prophecy”, he is most knowledgeable and can see far beyond
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However, the limitations of human capability prevent advancement of intellectual insight or knowledge. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus undergoes a drastic change from a prideful hero to hopeless sinner. Throughout the change, the balance between knowledge and suffering is kept stable. In the beginning, he is the “greatest in all men’s eyes” – prideful and confident (40). However, he is ignorant of himself and what is to come. When he does not know anything, he is happy and without struggle. When he is given knowledge from Teiresias, he accuses Creon of treason and suffers the loss of a friend. When given knowledge from the herdsman, Oedipus pushes Jocasta away and loses her to suicide. When realizing the truth, he loses his sight. Oedipus once had “[his] eyes but see not where [he is] in sin…nor whom [he] lives with” (397). However, as he chased the murder case, he had “no joy in the discovery: …[exchanging] blindness for sight” (454). “Sight”, in this context, represents the truth. For the truth, he became blind. In the beginning, Oedipus, to any man with information regarding the murder, “command[ed] him to tell everything to [him]…let him speak the truth. For [he] will pay him” (227-232). He foreshadows that acquiring information would come with a price. Though it may seem as though Oedipus advances his knowledge as he learns the truth, he suffers the loss of those around him. When he discovers the truth behind …show more content…
A tilt in the beam may cause chaos; therefore, there are people who attempt to impede incoming information. Denial complicates the understanding of human experience for the reason that it causes people to reject information and therefore obstruct advancement in knowledge. Sophocles exemplifies this through Jocasta and Oedipus. Jocasta and Oedipus were at a good balance where they unknowingly suffered ignorance of self but enjoyed the joys of a family and wealth. The fear of tilting the balance put both Jocasta and Oedipus in compulsory denial. They believe that the servant’s story of the murder is the whole truth and cannot consider otherwise. Jocasta claims that Laius was murdered “by foreign highway robbers at a place where three roads meet” (715). Oedipus fails to recognize the similar situation he was in when he “encountered… a carriage with a man in it…near the branching crossroads” (799-803). He clearly denies the lurking memory by declaring that “it was not [he] who killed him” (843). Jocasta and Oedipus then shared to each other their prophecies. Jocasta revealed that Laius was to be “killed by his own son” and Oedipus admitted that he was “doomed to be the murderer of the father that begot [him]” (854, 793). Even with the coinciding prophecies, neither Jocasta nor Oedipus felt the need to mention the coincidence. Lastly, another obvious irony is when Oedipus is told of Jocasta binding her baby’s ankles and
In the play “Oedipus Rex by Sophocles” the themes of sight and blindness are produced to develop in the readers mind that it is not the eyesight, but insight that holds the key to truth and without It no amount of knowledge can help uncover the truth. Insight can be described as the ability to see what is going to happen. Characters like Oedipus and Teiresias hold a significant role in the play and other characters like Iocaste are also important in the play.
Trying to solve the mystery of who killed the previous King, Oedipus does not look at the facts around him. As a prophet, Teiresias explains to Oedipus that he is at fault for the death of Laius but Oedipus does not accept this as true, he embraces the darkness and his view of the truth. Teiresias goes further to convince Oedipus of his fault by saying, “Your clear eyes flooded with darkness. That day will come.” Oedipus has placed himself in a world that is suitable as the truth for him. He is not prepared for change or the opinions of others although he is directly seeking the answer to who killed Laius. This connects to Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” because Oedipus is very similar to the prisoners. He is set in his way and the light of knowledge does not immediately impact him. Teiresias bluntly says to Oedipus, “You have eyes to see with, but you do not see yourself” (Sophocles, 42). He pushes and pushes Oedipus to understand that he killed Laius but with no luck. Once Oedipus learns more about how Laius was killed and figures out that he killed a man that way he goes into the light. His reality has now changed just as it did for the prisoner who was released from the cave. But for Oedipus, facing the truth is something he is not able to do with ease. Teiresias says to Oedipus that “wisdom is a curse when [it] does nothing for the man who has it” (37).
to the audience it may seem that Oedipus has at last discovered who he truly is, but Sophocles doesn’t believe that he has had a true revelation and continues on
Sight is a very important sense to a human being. It is one of the things generally taken for granted, but without it, many people would find themselves helpless and lost. The eyes are used to navigate, to interact, and to learn. However, even with sight people can still go astray and often become oblivious to the most apparent truths. This mental blindness can be more detrimental to one’s life than physical blindness. In the play Oedipus Rex, the title character Oedipus suffers from this kind of blindness. He is blinded from the truth his whole life, thus leading to his unfortunate fate. In the characters of Oedipus and Teiresias, Sophocles uses blind and sight as motif to effectively show how one’s uncontrolled emotions are blinding, and why physical sight is not needed for one to see the truth.
In the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, Oedipus’s downfall can be interpreted as brought about by his certainty of knowledge. The scholar Bernard Knox expresses that, “these attributes of divinity – knowledge, certainty, justice – are all qualities Oedipus thought he possessed – and that is why he was the perfect example of the inadequacy of human knowledge, certainty, and justice.” Oedipus is first held as the king of kings, and he believed himself to hold the knowledge he needed to act upon, yet this exact confidence led him to curse himself. Oedipus’s unending search for justice shows his commendable qualities, yet this becomes insufficient; as he found the truth, he found his ruin. Even the Messenger and the Herdsman see how Oedipus’s knowledge and certainty blind him from the truth. The attributes of knowledge, certainty, and justice, all of which Oedipus possessed, brought about his downfall by clouding the light of the truth.
“…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
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests that the impact of seeing the truth is harmful rather than enlightening. Whenever Oedipus strives to discover more to strengthen Thebes’ perspective of him, it leads him closer to his fate as determined by prophesy. Tiresias stands as a model in the play for the individual who is able to see the meaning beyond plot of events although his is blind, and Oedipus represents the oblivious arrogant individual who is never content because they need to be the unsurpassed individual. In the play, Sophocles illustrates the downside of a personality like Oedipus who desires to see the truth by ending the play with the brutality of gouging out his own eyes. Ultimately, the play reinforces that seeing the truth is harmful and being content with what you have, without greedily striving for more, can help avoid fate and a related deposition.
Self-awareness is an esseential part of life; it is the conscious knowledge of one's own character, feelings, motives, and desires. Throughout the play, Oedipus the King by Sophocles, it is said that Oedipus' biggest flaw is the sin of Hubris, but in reality not knowing who he is also plays a part in his seelfishness, arrogance, and rashness. He is also very self-orientated and he can't see past his success long enough to realize his mistakes. Oedipus is the classic example of a man whose central problem is that he does not know himself because he is completely oblivious to the truth that surrounds him and subconsciously ignores his true identity for most of the play.
First off, Teiresias is hinting at the fact that Oedipus’ relationship with Jocasta is a “sinful union” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus is unable to make the connection between what Teiresias is saying and his own prophecy. Oedipus does not want to acknowledge the fact that he has committed a sin and he avoids learning the truth by remaining ignorant of his true parentage. On top of this, when Teiresias outright tells Oedipus that “the killer [he is] seeking is [himself]” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus refuses to believe this and instead accuses Teiresias of lying and plotting against him. Oedipus, as a known intelligent character, should have listened to Teiresias, who is known for being a wise man; instead, Oedipus puts the blame on Teiresias. Teiresias then goes on to foreshadow that the “taunts” (Sophocles 36) Oedipus is throwing at him will “someday [be] cast at [him]” (Sophocles 36). Oedipus does not take the warning of Teiresias seriously instead he continues to insult Teiresias. Oedipus’ inability to face the truth will result in him being banned and blinding himself for his ignorance. Similarly, Jocasta attempts to prevent Oedipus from gaining knowledge by explaining that “[i]t makes no difference now” (Sophocles 55) and to “[f]orget” (Sophocles 55) what has been told to him. Jocasta not only tries to stop Oedipus from learning the truth, she also tries to stop herself from verifying the truth, this later results in her unfortunate suicide. Also, Jocasta’s ignorance and inability to discover Oedipus’ true past causes her to commit incest, a major sin. Jocasta and Oedipus committing this sin then result in the God’s punishing Thebes. Showing that, ignorance leads to
From the way the man speaks to the other shepherd, "Damn you, shut your mouth—quite!" (346) You can tell that Oedipus is not going to like what this messenger has to say. He to owns the knowledge that is blinding Oedipus. But he will soon know and the knowledge of himself will set him free, and he will be able to understand his faults. When Oedipus finally realizes that the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother had came true, he was over come with shame. He goes to Jocasta’s quarters, where she had taken her own life, and gouged out his eyes with the broach that she wore. In the end, Oedipus gains insight into his life, his failings, and the nature of the gods and fate only through his own blindness, only through accepting the truth of his lack of vision, and his inability to impact fate. Oedipus gains a compassionate, though tragic outlook because of his capacity to envision that which he could never see while he had his physical sight. Through his blindness, Oedipus is finally allowed the ability to see himself, and this is the irony of sight in Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King.
This essay will illustrate the types of characters depicted in Sophocles’ tragic drama, Oedipus Rex, whether static or dynamic, flat or round, and whether protrayed through the showing or telling technique.
Ancient Greeks cared deeply about the pursuit of knowledge. Although the truth was often a terrifying concept, they still saw it as a critical virtue. One of the main underlying themes in Oedipus the King is the struggle of sight vs. blindness. Oedipus’ blindness is not just physical blindness, but intellectual blindness as well. Sophocles has broken blindness into two distinct components. The first component, Oedipus's ability to "see" (ignorance or lack thereof), is a physical characteristic. The second component is Oedipus's willingness to "see", his ability to accept and understand his fate. Throughout the play, Sophocles demonstrates to us how these components.
Sophocles demonstrates in the play Oedipus the King that a human being, not a God, ultimately determines destiny. That is, people get what they deserve. In this play, one poorly-made judgment results in tragic and inescapable density. Oedipus fights and kills Laius without knowing Laius is his father. Then, Oedipus's pitiless murdering causes several subsequent tragedies such as the incestuous marriage of Oedipus gets into the flight with Laius. However, Oedipus's characteristics after Laius's death imply that Oedipus could avoid the fight as well as the murder of his father, but did not. Ultimately, Oedipus gets what he deserves due to his own characteristics that lead him to murder Laius: impatience, delusion, and arrogance.
Everyone desires to know the truth. It provides peace of mind, reassurance, closure, and a knowledge of what actually matters and what is superficial. Without it, we cannot be sure of anything and we will live in true indecision. Naturally we strive to discover the truth and occasionally we will go great lengths to gain knowledge. Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex dealt with Oedipus’ hopeless struggle to find the truth of his origin to free himself and his city. “The plot of the Oedipus Rex is a search for knowledge, and its climax is a recognition of truth.” (O’Brien 10). Oedipus knew the truth but he continued his fruitless search. His tragic flaw of pride or hubris, a staple of Greek drama, caused him to ignore the truth even though it was directly expressed to him. This search led him on many roads but he finally realized that all roads led to him.
Here is a story where Oedipus the King, who has accomplished great things in his life, discovers that the gods were only playing with him. He has everything a man of that time could want; he is king of Thebes, he has a wonderful wife and children, and great fame through out the lands. He has lived a good life, but in the end everything is taken from him.