Sight And Blindness In Sophocles Oedipus The King

Oedipus Rex Draft
The infamous Greek tragedian, Sophocles, effected a transformation in the spirit and significance of a tragedy; although problems of religion and morality still provided the themes, the nature of man, his problems, and his struggles became the chief interest of Greek tragedy. A sophoclean tragedy contains recurring elements to truly engage the viewers and dramatize the plot.Common elements in a sophoclean tragedy include the protagonist being a person of noble birth and stature; the protagonist having a weakness and because of it, becoming isolated and suffering a downfall; the audience undergoing catharsis, a purging of emotions, after experiencing pity, fear, and shock. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses the contrast between sight and blindness to reveal the complexities and self-inflicting irony of the protagonist, Oedipus.
In Oedipus Rex, the protagonist, Oedipus, is blind to the fate the gods have placed upon him and his ignorance only strays him farther from the truth.
On the other hand, Teiresias is physically blind; his lack of sight is made up by the fact that he can view the past, present, and future because of his prophetical nature. Both characters exhibit sight and blindness both metaphorically and literally in Oedipus Rex, and Sophocles uses these conditions to show the adverse effects of ignorance. The plot turns on the gradual revelation to Oedipus of the dreadful truth that he has become ruler of Thebes by first unwittingly slaying his father and then marrying his mother, the queen
Jocasta.
Due to Oedipus’s ignorance, he is unable to see the truth and ultimately brings upon his own doom. Oedipus is determined to solve the mystery of who killed Laius not just for his own sake but “for our land, a desert blasted by the wrath of heaven” (Sophocles 252-253). Following Tiresias’ reluctance to speak about the murder, Oedipus continues his pattern of ignorance and anger by accusing Teiresias that had he “not been blind, I had been sworn to boot that thou alone didst do the bloody deed” (Sophocles 349-350). This accusation leads Teiresias to expose Oedipus and state that he in fact is the curse that plagues Thebes. With all these accusations being made, the characters get more frustrated with one another and Oedipus strays farther from the truth. Regardless of Teiresias being visually impaired, he still manages to have more situational awareness than Oedipus. An important distinction between Oedipus and Tiresias is that Tiresias is willing to accept the chaos taking place and listen to those around him; however, Oedipus struggles to accept the fact that he possibly may be the killer and may have committed patricide along with regicide.
Oedipus’ internal struggle results in his downfall and is portrayed through his decision to gouge his eyes which impairs his vision permanently. Oedipus ultimately chooses to lead a life in a dark world because he is unable to cope with “the double weight of past and present woes” (Sophocles 1320).
Sophocles unveils the flaws of the ignorant, blind nature of Oedipus through the many interactions between characters displayed in Oedipus Rex. Oedipus is a victim of the confining ways of ignorance as well as sight and blindness. The values of the greek society are ingrained into Oedipus’ life and he struggles to find out the truth while remaining a strong leader in the eyes of the community. Ignorance fuels anger and hubris in Oedipus, driving him into madness and failure, while Teiresias and the remaining characters are left in compromising positions having realized that their King is a murder but also set up because of fate. The obliviousness of Oedipus in Oedipus Rex inadvertently contributes to misery and suffering that reaches characters beyond Oedipus.