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Literary analysis of oedipus the king character
Literary analysis of oedipus the king character
Character of oedipus the king
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Blindness Vs. Sight In the plays Oedipus the King and Antigone by Sophocles, the city of Thebes deals with two kings, who cause great pain to the city. In the play Oedipus the King, Oedipus is the very tempered king of Thebes, in which this city has a plague. Little does Oedipus know after blaming everyone else, he is the real cause of the disaster.
When blindness is referenced the first thought that comes up is the actual disability. Blindness doesn’t always come in the form of a physical impairment but can often times have a figurative meaning. Sophocles, J.C. Oates and Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrate this act of figuratively referencing blindness in “Oedipus the King,” Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” and “Young Goodman Brown.” Although some may say that the truth will set you free, for the characters in these stories it decides their fates. The story of “Oedipus the King,” tells a tale of the great ruler of Thebes who has become the culprit of a plaque that is among the city.
He finds out that his mother is his wife and that he killed his father, The former king. Finding all of this out, Oedipus becomes his own prosecutor, and then his own judge and punisher. This story suggests that knowledge is vain and constrained in its capacity to convey happiness to the individuals who look for it. Sophocles certainly wasn’t timid about the symbol sight vs. blindness; words like
The field is freshly raked, the sun is blaring in, the game is beginning, but before she is ready, the ball is hit. With the spot light on her, she quickly stumbles over her feet and misses the ball. “Stupid rock” she mumbles under her breath. Her parents protect her with words like “good job” then she proceeds to smile. Ignorance is bliss, for some.
The motif of light and darkness play one of the most substantial rolls in the play. Sophocles introduces Oedipus as a seemingly powerful and virtuous man bursting with great strength. Ever since Oedipus had defeated the Sphinx, it became apparent that this was the King that the Thebans have been pleading for. Only a great King can effortlessly assert themselves in dominant manner over others, on the contrary, Oedipus had pushed it to the point where he overlooks the thoughts of others. As a tragic result, he was constantly becoming ever more blind throughout the passage.
A lack of physical sight can allow for more perception in other areas. More specifically one’s awareness of surrounding reality leading to a greater knowledge of the truth. Losing Oedipus’ sight proves to be a point in which he is able to analyze his thoughts more deeply than ever before. After he blinds himself, he begins to realize that he his the brother of his children. Additionally, he finally sees their perspective and thinks about their future.
Master of Tragedies Neil Gaiman once said, “There’s none so blind as those who will not listen.” This quote relates to the theme of sight and blindness in “The Tragedy of Oedipus Rex”. King Oedipus was a man who would not accept the truth about himself. Physically he was not blind but in truth he was. There are three examples of Oedipus’s metaphysical condition of blindness which will be listed as follows.
Oedipus became blind by trying to escape his fate, as well as the pride and arrogance he had developed. In the text the author states, “And if this killer lives within my house, and if I know him, then may I myself receive the curse I just now laid upon his head” (43).
The symbolic implication that comes of Oedipus blinding himself is he has seen too much evil and would rather see nothing than more evil. “What’s there left for me to see…?” P.44 Oedipus here say he has seen too much and that what he has seen will taint everything he sees thereafter. I do not find this courageous nor heroic, I believe blinded himself to not see what he had done, to not be reminded of his deeds, even by seeing his
Oedipus experienced blindness figuratively and eventually literally. The concept of sight and blindness in Oedipus Rex teaches many lessons. One lesson is that seeing something is based on one’s perspective, therefore it will not always be experienced the same way among different people. It depends on the way people perceive the information they receive.
Throughout the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, there is continual use of vision and blindness foreshadowing the events to come near the end of the play due to Oedipus’ ignorance. Ironically, most of the main characters with their sight still intact are blind to the truth and revelations that come to pass while the few that are blind see what is to come and what becomes of those spoken of in the prophecy. In a paradoxical trend, sight in the play can equal deception or ignorance while blindness represents truth or revelation. Oedipus is a brash man.
Intelligence Breeds Overconfidence Intelligence is commonly seen as a gift, a perfection or a survival instinct, but many don’t realize that intelligence can undermine a person’s life. In Oedipus Rex, a theatrical play by Sophocles, displays the idea that human flaws such as intellect can flourish overconfidence which may become a downfall. The play revolves around the king Oedipus, in a burdensome experience to find out what who is the murderer of the previous king. He is confident that with his intelligence he will restore Thebes and go against the word of the gods, to later realize that his intelligence is not a gift but a destruction. As previously stated Oedipus tries to use his intelligence to stop the curse of Thebes.
It's great ignorance to have physical sight when you are ultimately blinded by the truth that you cannot see as in the case of Oedipus. The king makes ironical statement to Teiresias of how he cannot be hurt by Teiresias (Calame, 1996). This later turn to Oedipus equating physical blinded to ignorance as he removes his eyes so as not to see his terrible actions. The play displays Oedipus two encounters of blindness.
Tiresias reveals that Oedipus has been blind to the truth his whole life and when he finally does find the truth, he loses his physical vision. Due to the truth, Oedipus blinds himself. In this case, those who are blind ultimately do have a higher vision- the truth. The theme of sight versus blindness in Sophocles’ work Oedipus the King is portrayed through
But, he was also a good man, father, husband, and king, and for this reason he is mourned over for his loss of fortune. One of the themes in Oedipus Rex is physical and metaphorical blindness. In Greek culture, those who were physically blind were said to have metaphorical "vision" and were messengers of the gods. For example, In the beginning, Oedipus is blind, not physically, but metaphorically because he does not know the
