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Oedipus The King

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Symbolism and Theme in Oedipus Rex Buddha once said, ¨Three things cannot be hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth" (Buddha Quotes). Buddha’s quote discusses what is true in life and what can not be concealed, both literally and metaphorically. The sun and moon are eternally prevalent, as well as the truth, which must never be hidden. In other words, the same way one can not stop the sun and moon from coming out, one can not stop the truth from coming out as well. The story of Oedipus Rex has an overall theme that not all who have sight can see the truth. The theme is portrayed through various symbols. The first symbol is the metaphorical difference between blindness of truth opposed to knowledge of the truth. The second symbol is the allusion …show more content…

While speaking to Creon about the Murder of King Laius, Oedipus states, “Then once more, I must bring what is dark to light” (Parados.312). Oedipus’ quote metaphorically refers to finding out what is not known. What is in the dark, is what he does not know, which he will find out, or bring to Light. In his case, he does not know that it was he who murdered King Laius, his biological father. During an argument with Teiresias, Oedipus proclaims to him, “You child of endless night! You cannot hurt me or any other man who sees the sun” (1.321). Once again, Oedipus creates irony through his statement. He insults Teiresias’ condition and states that he is a wicked, blind man. If one refers to the Sun as the truth in Oedipus’ life, it is Oedipus, in reality, who does not see the sun. Despite Teiresias being blind, he does not tell lies when he speaks to Oedipus about the prophecy. Teiresias reveals to him that his real father was King Laius, and that he was his murdered. He also revealed that his wife, in fact, was his birth mother. All of which Oedipus refuses to believe, so he denies all accusations because he is

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Teiresias In 'Oedipus The King'

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Explanation: In the quote, Teiresias directly tells Oedipus who is the murderer and he is in denial and believes that he is lying. In other words, Oedipus is told exactly who he is looking for and, later in the story, has to go through a series of conversations in order to gather proof to believe Teiresias.

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Denial In Oedipus The King

509 Words | 3 Pages

Oedipus denies the truth and faces the consequences later on in the play. He gets furious when everyone is blaming him for killing Laius. As he is blaming others, hubris appears within his personality. Oedipus becomes blinder as hubris takes over him.

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Lack Of Knowledge In Sophocles 'Oedipus The King'

646 Words | 3 Pages

Oedipus’ lack of knowledge leads to his blindness to the truth in Thebes because he thought he was better than everyone else because he solved the Sphinx riddle. Oedipus will then go on to be King of Thebes and marry Jocasta and at the time he didn’t know that Jocasta was his mother. He would also take the place of King Louis, his father, who which he killed in the beginning of the story. Once Oedipus becomes king he makes a promise to his people that he would find the murderer and kick him out of Thebes and no one would be able to help him.

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Oedipus Rex Research Paper

927 Words | 4 Pages

He refuses to listen to the counsel of those around him. In fact, Oedipus retorts to Teiresias, “Say what you will. Whatever you say is worthless” (Sophocles 19). Oedipus turns a deaf ear to the truth and a blind eye to his actions. He is crippled not by truly being blind but his foolish ignorance.

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Oedipus The King Research Paper

677 Words | 3 Pages

However, Oedipus's arrogance blinds him to the truth of Teiresias' words, and he accuses the prophet of treachery. Additionally, the chorus invokes the gods throughout the play, imploring them for mercy and guidance in the face of Oedipus' tragic fate. Fate, as depicted in Oedipus the King, is portrayed as an immutable force that governs the lives of mortals, transcending their attempts to defy or alter its course. Despite Oedipus' efforts to evade his destiny, his actions unwittingly fulfill the prophecy, leading to his tragic downfall. “Once again, I must bring the darkness into the light...slaughtered king”( Sophocles 677).

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Blindness And Sight In Sophocles Oedipus The King

983 Words | 4 Pages

As the author states, “Though you cannot see, you must surely feel” (18; ep. 1). Oedipus infers that even though the man cannot physically see, he can see the truth. This motif is also evident through Oedipus’ ignorance. Unlike Tiresias, Oedipus can see, but is blind to the truth. As Tiresias states, “I say you see and still are blind-appalling: blind to your origins and to a union in your house” (23; ep. 1).

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Sight And Blindness In King Oedipus The King

627 Words | 3 Pages

If the prophet were to reveal this fact, it would lead to Oedipus’ downfall and destruction, as seen later in the story. This reveals how Oedipus’ tragic downfall is a result of his blindness to reality due to his excessive pride. Dramatic irony is also used, as both the audience and the prophet can see the truth of the prophecy while Oedipus remains unaware. Although Oedipus has eyes to see and the prophet does not, one can see the truth while the other is blind to the facts that lie in front of him. After Tieresias refuses to tell Oedipus the truth, he turns and blames the prophet, saying, “If you had eyes to see with, I would have said Your hand, and yours alone, had done it all."

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Examples Of Blindness In Oedipus The King

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Oedipus calls the prophet to him in order that he may begin to clearly see. Oedipus desperately wants to know the truth but Teiresias denies him saying, “How dreadful knowledge of the

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Sight In Oedipus The King

656 Words | 3 Pages

As Oedipus finally discovers who he is and what he has done, Sophocles reiterates the connection of sight with ignorance, and blindness with knowledge by having Oedipus blind himself. But before Oedipus blinds himself, he finally connects all the “puzzle pieces” of his life. He realizes that he had indeed killed Laius, who was his father, and married his mother. He soon goes into his house and finds Jocasta dead.

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Oedipus Rex Research Paper

849 Words | 4 Pages

Know Thyself Pamela Theresa Loertscher once said,“Know thyself and all will be revealed”. This crucial thought is the center of Oedipus’s downfall in the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. In this early play, Oedipus had always thought that he knew his true parents, but the play takes a turn and reveals the shocking truth. If Oedipus had known who he truly was, all of these tragedies could have been avoided.

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What Is Oedipus Predetermined Fate

1234 Words | 5 Pages

Denying this though Oedipus to the blind man (Tiresias) “I was fated to lie with my mother, and show to daylight… When I heard this I fled- yes I fled to somewhere I should not see fulfilled the infamies in that dreaded oracle.” (13) Oedipus is explaining here how he tried to runaway from his home after being told by the oracle, which was a cave in the mountain that told young men and women the fates they seek in the future. But soon enough we learn that Oedipus’s fate had already happened without him knowing this entire time.

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Oedipus Rex Research Paper

412 Words | 2 Pages

Even though Oedipus discovered the truth and saved the entire community from dying because of the plague, he suffered the consequences for killing Laius. Oedipus is not secretive person. He is a good king because he cared for the life and death of his people, but it is his character flaw that turned everything around. Also, during the scene when Oedipus spoke to the Chorus about the punishment the killer would receive if the killer confessed as the murderer of Laius, there were many long silences.

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Sophocles Ability To See In Oedipus The King

874 Words | 4 Pages

Oedipus the king is a story that has many themes within itself that could teach a valuable lesson to others. One of the main themes in this story is that of having the ability to see, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. There are many times in the story where different characters address this problem but mostly everyone is too blind to notice. One of the characters who can see the truth but ironically can't physically cant see, is that of Tiresias, the blind prophet. He is the one who could see the truth all along but everyone chose to be blind and not put the facts together to see the truth about Oedipus and his true identity.

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Truth In Sophocles Oedipus The King

536 Words | 3 Pages

Along with the presence of this anxiety, Oedipus also becomes immensely uncertain as he feels powerless in the face of destiny. Having been deprived of this information, Oedipus would have continued to go about his royal duties maintaining his focus on the city. This sequence of events prove Teiresia's claim to be a most accurate idea; when truth holds no advantage to the receiver, it may become an outlet for negativity.

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Oedipus The King

1409 Words | 6 Pages

This is ironic because he is supposed to be the savor when the plague is caused because of him. 2. Oedipus makes fun of Teiresias, who is an old blind prophet, about being blind and having to be carried around when at the end of the story he himself will become blind and will have to have his daughters carry him. 3. Jocasta, Oedipus’s wife, says that he should not believe in oracles because she had one and it never came true.

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