Oedipus The King
In Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the new king of Thebes after the former king, Laius, was killed. Thebes has been cursed, and a prophet of the god Apollo tells Oedipus that Laius' killer must be banished from Thebes. Oedipus begins on a disastrous quest to find the assassin, and finds that he is the one he seeks. He pierces his eyes and tries to kill himself, and is banished from Thebes at the end of the play. Oedipus realizes his foolishness at the end of the play, comparing his lack of wisdom to blindness. Tiresias the blind prophet “sees” more than Oedipus, who has his sight. This idea of sight and blindness is a major theme in Oedipus the King.
Sophocles, the author of Oedipus the King, uses several literary techniques to support the theme of sight and blindness. The technique he uses the most is irony. The first example of irony relating to sight and blindness is when Oedipus blinds himself after Jocasta kills herself. “He ripped out the golden pins with which her clothes were fastened, raised them high above his head, and speared the pupils of his eyes. ... he raised his hands and struck his eyes again and again.” (Oedipus the King, 73). Second, Oedipus mentions sight many times during the play. He tells Jocasta, “Tell me one more thing that will shed light on this.” (Oedipus the King, page 43), and later says, “It is all clear as daylight now.” (Oedipus the King, page 43). In the beginning of the play, he is told that he does indeed see, “Oedipus, ruler of Thebes, you see us here at your altar… You can see for yourself.” (Oedipus the King, page 6). …show more content…
Oedipus claims, “I will bring it all to light.” (Oedipus the King, page 12). He also says aloud that he has been “looking for” the killer, ironically. Lastly, it was ironic how, in the beginning of the play, Oedipus was stubborn and judged his people, his brother, and the prophet Tiresias with his eyes, yet at the end, he refuses to stay in Thebes, ashamed of the eyes which he has not used, which have not truly seen. “With what eyes could I have faced my father in the house of the dead, or my poor mother? …Do you think I longed to look at my children, born the way they were? No, not with these eyes of mine, never! Not this town either, its walls, its holy temples of the gods. ...Do you think I could have looked at my fellow citizens with steady eyes?” (Oedipus the King, page 76). These ironies in Oedipus the King draw the attention of the reader to the central idea Sophocles wanted them to notice.
In Oedipus the King, author Sophocles tells the story of a man seeking to find the source of his troubles, and finding himself.
In the play, one of his main ideas is that wisdom is worth much more than physical ability, using the example of physical sight and insight. Using both verbal and situational irony throughout the story, he successfully grabs the attention of the reader so that they easily grasp his
point.
Sophocles, the author of Oedipus the King, uses several literary techniques to support the theme of sight and blindness. The technique he uses the most is irony. The first example of irony relating to sight and blindness is when Oedipus blinds himself after Jocasta kills herself. “He ripped out the golden pins with which her clothes were fastened, raised them high above his head, and speared the pupils of his eyes. ... he raised his hands and struck his eyes again and again.” (Oedipus the King, 73). Second, Oedipus mentions sight many times during the play. He tells Jocasta, “Tell me one more thing that will shed light on this.” (Oedipus the King, page 43), and later says, “It is all clear as daylight now.” (Oedipus the King, page 43). In the beginning of the play, he is told that he does indeed see, “Oedipus, ruler of Thebes, you see us here at your altar… You can see for yourself.” (Oedipus the King, page 6). …show more content…
Oedipus claims, “I will bring it all to light.” (Oedipus the King, page 12). He also says aloud that he has been “looking for” the killer, ironically. Lastly, it was ironic how, in the beginning of the play, Oedipus was stubborn and judged his people, his brother, and the prophet Tiresias with his eyes, yet at the end, he refuses to stay in Thebes, ashamed of the eyes which he has not used, which have not truly seen. “With what eyes could I have faced my father in the house of the dead, or my poor mother? …Do you think I longed to look at my children, born the way they were? No, not with these eyes of mine, never! Not this town either, its walls, its holy temples of the gods. ...Do you think I could have looked at my fellow citizens with steady eyes?” (Oedipus the King, page 76). These ironies in Oedipus the King draw the attention of the reader to the central idea Sophocles wanted them to notice.
In Oedipus the King, author Sophocles tells the story of a man seeking to find the source of his troubles, and finding himself.
In the play, one of his main ideas is that wisdom is worth much more than physical ability, using the example of physical sight and insight. Using both verbal and situational irony throughout the story, he successfully grabs the attention of the reader so that they easily grasp his
point.