Knowledge And Ignorance In Oedipus The King

A major theme of the classic Greek theatre production Oedipus Rex is the conflict between knowledge and ignorance. This is shown most strongly within the conversation held between Oedipus and Tiresias, the blind seer. Despite the prominent trait within the old man, rendering him unable to visually see his environment, he was very well-respected and revered by the people of Thebes for his ability to communicate with the gods, being given prophecies and answers to questions in doing so. This is seen as significant, as back in the day of these events, a majority of people were very religious, cautiously following whatever orders the gods send back to the mortal world – no matter how bleak it may seem. Oedipus, however, wasn’t so interested in doing that.
Not that I can really blame him, especially when taking a look at exactly what Tiresias is trying to convey to Oedipus. Though his tongue is tricky, tricky enough that the blind-with-rage Oedipus doesn’t fully comprehend the message, what he’s saying in basic terms is clear enough. That being that Oedipus himself is the murderer of the
Sure, he is capable of seeing the world around him, but he can’t really see it – at least not the world for what it truly is. Beyond the material colors and objects that surround him, Oedipus is very ignorant of the workings of his world, blind so much to the point that he really doesn’t know who he himself is. Oedipus is blind to the fact that the man he once killed just to let off some steam was his blood father, or that the woman he called his wife could also be called his mother. The possibility of anything so vile doesn’t normally come to anyone naturally. But Oedipus has received so many warning signs throughout his life. Regardless of this, he refuses to see them or listen to them, instead trying to fight a destiny that he was instead playing right into the hands