Oedipus Blindness

Many people know the story of Oedipus. His hero’s journey mixed with his tragic fate make for an unforgettable story. While many people realize that theme of blindness and sight is impossible to ignore throughout the text, there is perhaps a harder to find, deeper meaning behind this theme. While the most memorable part of the play continues to be Oedipus blinding himself, the theme of blindness shows up countless other times. This theme of blindness versus sight does not just simply encompass physical sight, but also metaphorical sight. This metaphorical sight is present all throughout the text and represents knowledge of the truth. Furthermore, Tiresias has this type of sight, while Oedipus lacks it. Contrastingly, Tiresias lacks the physical

Oedipus makes it appear that he can see everything clearly, physically and metaphorically. He is able to physically see the suffering of his people. Furthermore, the play suggests that he has great insight into their suffering. Oedipus illustrates this by saying, “Children, poor helpless children / I know what brings you here, I know. / You suffer, this plague is agony for each of you, / but none of you, not one suffers as I do” (ln. 79-82) With this statement, Oedipus asserts that he knows the sufferings of his people and experiences it himself, perhaps even worse than they do. However, the irony in this part of the play shows itself strongly. Oedipus says that he experiences his people’s suffering as much as they do. However, Oedipus proves himself to be dreadfully unaware that he is the cause of their suffering. Oedipus asks for help from the god Apollo for his people by way of Kreon. When Kreon returns from Apollo, he explains to Oedipus what must happen to cure the plague. Kreon says, “A man must be banished. Banished or killed. / Blood for blood. The plague is blood, / blood, breaking over Thebes.” (ln. 123-25) After hearing about this, Oedipus continually asks questions about the identity of the man. However, even after he seemly should figure it out, Oedipus never realizes that it is himself who has caused the plague and must be killed or banished, according to Apollo. He proves that he is

The most prominent example of physical blindness in the play is Tiresias, the blind prophet. Furthermore, he is the only example of physical blindness until the tragic ending when Oedipus becomes another example. The seer or prophet figure is a very well-known character throughout mythology. The idea of a seer is present in many ways throughout literary history and even literature of today. Although in Oedipus the King, Tiresias is only present for about one scene, he serves a very important role. Tiresias acts as the ongoing example of physical blindness in the play. Through his physical blindness, the seemingly all-knowing Tiresias shows a stark contrast Oedipus’ metaphorical blindness. While Tiresias seemingly only wishes to help him and Oedipus knows Tiresias is a seer, he never believes Tiresias about his fate until the very end of Oedipus the King. Oedipus’ pride seemingly gets in the way; he does not want to believe that he could be wrong. Oedipus even mocks Tiresias for his physical disability saying, “The truth is strong, but not your truth. / You have no truth. You’re blind. / Blind in your eyes. Blind in your ears. Blind in your mind” (506-08) However, ironically Tiresias knows everything about Oedipus and Oedipus is the one who is “blind in your [his] mind.”