The Theme of Blindness and Insight in Oedipus - Essay Example

Name: Title: The theme of blindness and insight in Oedipus. Title: Tutor: Course: Question 2 Introduction One of the major underlying themes in Sophocles’ play is blindness and insight. Within the play, the issue of blindness and insight is an efficient contrasting method for Oedipus at various points. The word blindness in the play is somehow unclear. It can be broken down into two that is, Oedipus’ capability to see and his willingness to see. Throughout the play, the two components are at the center of action. The theme of blindness and insight has been illustrated clearly in the play through Oedipus’ and Teiresias’ blindness. The theme of blindness and insight in Oedipus The play starts with Oedipus having perfect physical vision. Though Oedipus had a perfect eyesight at the beginning of the play, he was however blind and ignorant to the truth that concerns himself and his past thus developing the theme of blindness. Oedipus desperately wanted to understand and to see, but he could not. The action of Oedipus at this point was to overcome blindness. Prophet Teiresias is ironically introduced into the play. Teiresias was physically blind and spiritualist. Teiresias, a blind man, was capable of seeing the truth about Oedipus, yet Oedipus, with all of his physical perfection, could not see. In the play, the theme of blindness and insight is also displayed when Oedipus had hopes that the blind prophet is capable of providing information that concerns king’s Laius murder. He asked the prophet to reveal the person who killed the king. Though not sure, Teiresias gave in and revealed that it was Oedipus who killed Laius. Oedipus was annoyed with Teiresias revelation. This therefore made Oedipus to criticize Teiresias’ blindness. Oedipus criticized the prophet of not only being blind in his mind but also in mind and ears (Sophocles, 2005). In Oedipus Rex Story, the writer creates the theme of blindness through Teiresias. Teiresias is a blind person who can really see the fated result of Oedipus’ life. Even if Oedipus had total use of his physical vision, he was totally blind of his fate. Teresias utilizes his blindness to make Oedipus conscious of his psychological blindness towards the facts of his life. Tiresias discloses to Oedipus that it is the physical sight of Oedipus that prevents him from seeing the facts of his past. The play went a head to illustrate the theme of blindness as disclosed by Tiresias to Oedipus. Tiresias reveals to Oedipus that though Oedipus has criticized him about his blindness, he, Oedipus, cannot see the evils around him, with whom and in the home that he is living in, even if he has sight. This clearly shows the development of the theme of blindness in the play. Teiresias tried to inform Oedipus that even though he is capable of seeing physically, he is still blinded by his search of knowing the fact of his life. In the play, Teresias informs Oedipus the king that he cannot see the suffering which forms part of Oedipus’ life. Teiresias further reveals to the reader that seeing physically does not imply that a person cannot see psychologically, as clearly displayed by Oedipus towards his past and fate (Bloom 2007). The theme of blindness and insight is displayed through blindness of Oedipus by understanding the facts of his life. Oedipus was offered hints by various individuals, even though he was oblivious to reality. His first hint was when a drunkard person accused him of being a child without a father. Another one was the forecast from Phoebus, who claimed that Oedipus was meant to lie with his mother and doomed to be his father’s killer. Factual and figurative references to eyesight emerge throughout Oedipus the king story. Clear vision acts as a symbol for insight and knowledge. The clear-eyed Oedipus is blind, that is, he cannot see the fact about his origin and unintentional crimes. Teiresias, The blind prophet, on the other hand, though literally blind, he can see the fact and communicates what is exposed to him. It was only after Oedipus had physically blinded himself than he gain a prophetic capability that is limited, as observed in Oedipus at Colonus. In the play, it is quite ironic that the seer can see much better than Oedipus, in spite of him being blind. The metaphor used here is not almost a metaphor. It is part of Greek’s way of thinking. The references to eyesight and insight in the play form a significant pattern together with literal and metaphorical blindness references. Oedipus is renowned for his clear-sightedness and rapid compression, though he later realizes that he has been blind to facts for several years. This makes him to physically blind himself so that he cannot be able to look at his own siblings and children. Though blind, Oedipus who was at that time very old finally gets a limited prophetic vision. Though Teiresias is blind, he can see far than other people. Generally, the play seem to illustrate that human beings can show amazing powers of intellectual insight and penetration and that they posses a huge capacity for understanding. It also illustrates that even human being who is very smart is liable to error, that is, human beings capacity for understanding is ultimately quite not reliable and limited (Mirzoeff 2004). Bloom (2007) argues that the theme of blindness and insight is well displayed when Oedipus recognizes his past faults and imposes self-punishment by damaging his own sight. The massager provides a realistic account of the self-inflicted sanction. He describes the event as intolerable and very worse. By implication, the play observes the paradox of insight and blindness. Teiresias, a blind prophet who has a gift of foresight, is ironically described that he can see very far than Oedipus. Previously in the play he told Oedipus that the bright eyes and excellent vision that Oedipus is proud of will one day become dark like his. The play at the end fulfills this prediction. Oedipus at this point became metaphorically blind, that is, he attempted to prevent suffering by ignoring the evidences to the truth. Oedipus later became literally blind and was able to see the fact about his life history and the penalties of his sins for the first time. Though the writer informs the reader that Oedipus will remain in darkness forever, in practice however, he has a deeper type of sight. By Oedipus blinding himself, implies that his eyes have been disclosed. According to Anspach (2004), Teiresias is the main character in the play that links blindness and sight, that is, though Teiresias cannot see, he is capable of foretelling the future. Oedipus physically blinds himself because he was ashamed of what he has done. He did not want to face his parents or family forever. Through out the play, the theme of blindness is portrayed both literally and figuratively. Literal blindness is usually associated with foresight or insight. Darkness and light are strongly associated with the theme of blindness and insight within Sophocles’ play. All the characters in the play are in darkness. Teiresias was in darkness because he was not capable of revealing his origin and Laius’ death. He was also literally in darkness with his own blindness. Though Teiresias was blind, he had a vision over everything that came afterwards. After discovering what had really occurred, Oedipus laments how all the things had actually come to light (Sophocles, 2005). Blindness has been constantly covered throughout the play. Anything that relates to sight or eyes has been repeatedly mentioned throughout the play. The theme of blindness and insight has been greatly developed by Teiresias’ Oedipus’ story. At the beginning of the play, Oedipus tells his people that he can only become blind due to misery but not through sympathizing with his people who are kneeling at his feet. Oedipus admits that even though Teiresias is blind, he is capable of helping his people in doing away with the plague that was caused by Apollo. As a way of responding to Oedipus insults, Tiresias does not talk about what he really knows. He later comments that those people who are currently blind yet they have eyes and those who are rich yet they are still beggars will grope their way towards a strange land. Teiresias was just trying to foretell the way Oedipus will finally find out about his past. Conclusion From the discussion, it is quite clear that the theme of blindness and insight has been brought out very well through out the play. The theme is well portrayed from the beginning of the play up to the end of the play. The writer used characters such as Oedipus and Tiresias to bring out the theme. Just from the beginning of the play, Tiresias is introduced as a blind prophet while Oedipus blinds himself towards the end of the play. Though Tiresias is physically blind, he is able to see more than Oedipus who has good eyesight. Towards the end of the play, Oedipus learns about his past and he also discovered that the oracle was right. He therefore ends up blinding himself. Bibliography Sophocles & Blondell R., 1947, Sophocles: The Theban Plays, Focus Pub. /R Pullins Co., NY. Markantonatos, A., 2007, Oedipus at Colonus: Sophocles, Athens, and the world, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin. Sophocles, 2005, Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King). Digireads.com Publishing, Kansas. Anspach R.M. & Girard R., 2004, Oedipus unbound: selected writings on rivalry and desire. Stanford University Press, London. Bloom, H. 2007, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Infobase Publishing, New York. Mirzoeff, N., 2004, Bodyscape: Art, Modernity and the Ideal Figure, Routledge, London. Lamarque, P., & Stein H., 2004, Olsen Aesthetics and the philosophy of art: the analytic tradition: an anthology, Wiley-Blackwel, New York. Read More