Oedipus The King Research Paper

The Blind Life of Oedipus The King “Oedipus the King” is a drama that portrays misfortune that dwells among mankind. The tragic sequence of events first starts with the birth of Oedipus. His biological parents are stricken with grief when they discover a secret that causes them to banish their son from the city of Thebes. Little did they know that, despite their actions, fate would still play out which would, in turn, cause the society of Thebes to be stricken by the plague. Although many people suffered from the unfortunate destiny of Oedipus, perhaps the person that suffered the most was Oedipus himself. Oedipus endured an unforgiving reality check after being blindsided by the current state of his life. Oedipus lived his life in blindness. His eyes may have been capable of seeing, but he lived in a state of blindness until he came to the harsh realization that he murdered his father, Laios, married his mother, Jokasta, and ultimately caused the plague that threatened the lives
Man can try his best to control his fate, but, ultimately, he is blind to what is actually going to come. Oedipus lived in a figurative state of blindness. Because he was human, he was blinded to his doom. It wasn’t until this harsh realization that Oedipus saw he couldn’t control his fate. When Oedipus gained sight of what his life had become, he decided to take his eyesight away crying out, “What good was left for my eyes to see? Nothing in this world could I see now with a glad heart” (Sophocles 1520-1522). Oedipus never experienced life on earth without some form of blindness. Oedipus’ life is, unfortunately, a result of human nature. Man can be both physically blinded and live in darkness, and man can be figuratively blinded from that of which only the gods can foresee. Both forms of blindness, brought on by consequences of the flesh, can hinder the joyfulness one experiences in