Sight And Blindness In Oedipus The King

The themes of sight and blindness occur frequently throughout the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. These symbols serve to develop the unity of the play and reveal the traits of the characters. Oedipus, Tiresias, and Jocasta are very different in their perceptions of sight. Oedipus, the successful King of Thebes, is a man with the ability to see but is metaphorically blind--blind to the truth of his role in the murder of Laius. He sets out diligently to find the murderer of Laius, who is a plague to the city of Thebes. He is completely restless until he knows the truth and quickly sends for Tiresias to help him solve the crime. After Tiresias accuses him of the murder, Oedipus makes strong, unreasonable accusations towards Tiresias and Creon, while he should be examining himself. Oedipus mocks him saying, “Blind as you are in eyes, and ears, and mind!” It is ironic how Oedipus mocks Tiresias for being blind, yet he is blind to the truth that Tiresias, the seer, is trying to express to him. When the truth is revealed at the end of the play, Oedipus gouges his eyes out because he is ashamed to look his loved ones in the eyes after what he has done. By the loss of his sight, Oedipus begins to see things more clearly. He sees that he is the plague that has been hurting the city of Thebes. His
She is nervous when she hears about the prophecies of Tiresias, and she is anxious about them, preferring to remain blind to the truth of what really happened. As it becomes more clear that Oedipus is her son and the murderer of Laius, she attempts to convince Oedipus to stop worrying about the prophecies by saying, “Let none of these predictions any more weight on your mind!” She does not want him to feel any grief, nor does she want to feel grief. However, when she is no longer blind to the truth, she is impelled to hang herself because of what she sees to be