Sight and Blindness in Oedipus: the Dual Motif of Vision in Oedipus the King

Introduction

Throughout the book about the story of Oedipus, it is riddled with constant tragedy. From the time Oedipus is abandoned on the mountain at birth to him gouging out his eyes, the theme is constant: tragedy follows you. The story of Oedipus begins when he is born, and there is a prophecy that he will bring great misfortune to his family; here is when the tragedy in Oedipus’s life originates. As a result, Oedipus has a hard life full of tragic situations and misfortunes, all of which lead to him blinding himself in the end.

The Paradox of Sight and Blindness

To begin with, the tragic fall of Oedipus in Sophocles’ play “Oedipus Rex” is both self-inflicted and the result of events drawn from his own destiny. First off, early on in Oedipus’ life, his first deadly mistake towards succeeding in his self-inflicted downfall was the murder of his father, the former king. In a blind rage without any motive, he kills Liaus and his men at a road crossing. Fate may have led him to that point, but it was his own rage that resulted in his biggest mistake. Further evidence of his self-inflicted downfall, Oedipus Was in the hands of his own ignorance. Creon then tries to warn Oedipus about his condemnation, “To slur a good man’s name/With baseless slander is one crime-another/Is rashly to mistake bad men for good. /Cast out an honest friend, and you cast out/Your life, your dearest treasure.” [42] This ignorance, combined with his stubborn, determined attitude, does not allow him foresight.

In Addition, the concept of sight is one of the major motifs throughout Sophocles’ play Oedipus the King. The play revolves primarily around a series of events caused by many people’s insight or lack of knowledge. Oedipus does not see that he is caught up in a web of cruel destinies that he cannot escape. The gods demonstrate foresight and insight into the play. In Addition to this, Tiresias has physical blindness but also has prophetic insight. Finally, both Oedipus and Jocasta portray types of mental blindness and shortsightedness. These are all examples of different uses of sight in the play Oedipus the King. Another ironic concept of sight in the play is found through Tiresias, the blind prophet. This is an oxymoron.

Tiresias is a wise old man who exhibits supernatural powers to interpret the past and predict the future. The fact that Tiresias is blind makes his visionary powers appear even more mysterious. This leads Oedipus to doubt Tiresias’ ability to see the truth. Had Oedipus not had so much pride, he would have understood the truth of Tiresias. Tiresias uses puzzling predictions to make men ponder about themselves. He does this to Oedipus by asking him to consider himself the murderer of Laius. He describes the murderer of Laius as ‘blind instead of seeing, beggar instead of rich, he will make his way to foreign soil, feeling his way with a stick’ (31). This is a great foresight on behalf of Tiresias.

Conclusion

All these things will later come true when Oedipus falls from power and blinds himself. It is Tiresias who is the first person to tell Oedipus that he has killed his own father. He tells Oedipus, ‘You do not see the evil in which you live’ (25). It takes a blind prophet to see that it is Oedipus who has murdered Laius. Even so, Oedipus states, ‘You are blind, your ears and mind as well as eyes’ (25). Therefore, when Oedipus insults Tiresias and accuses him of being a false prophet, he is also attacking the gods. This shortsighted decision made by Oedipus can cause no good. If what Tiresias has said is true, then Oedipus is quickly sealing his own fate.

References

1. “The Birth of Tragedy” by Friedrich Nietzsche

2. “Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge” by Charles Segal

3. “Oedipus: A Folklore Casebook” edited by Lowell Edmunds

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