sight in oedipus
The irony of sight is a prevalent theme in Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Both Oedipus and Tiresias are blind in their own respect, Oedipus by his pride, and Tiresias by his fate. They also share a common bond in their intelligence, perception, and in their wit. What makes their indisposition ironic is that Oedipus can see but is blinded by his pride and ignorance, his two preeminent hamartias, and Tiresias though physically blind can see what Oedipus cannot, the truth. Oedipus was a perceptive man gifted with keen judgement and understanding yet his lack of insight and his pride led to his demise, not destiny. Oedipus' forte was deciphering riddles, and unraveling any puzzles with the greatest of ease. He had a talent for looking outward, but unfortunately he had a deficiency of the ability to look inward. This talent of looking outward made him renowned for deciphering riddles and mysteries including that of the sphinx. Nevertheless when Tiresias appears and speaks in riddles, Oedipus cannot solve them because of his lack of insight, he is blind to the truth. He is in a sense spiritually blind. Tiresias on the other hand is full of insight and spirit, and is in no way vain. He represents the truth rejected by a willful and pr
oud king, all but the embodiment of fate itself. Tiresias' riddles are clear in what they state, but Oedipus cannot comprehend them because he doesn't know himself well enough. In one of Tiresias' most blunt statements, he says, "You are all ignorant. I will never reveal my dreadful secrets, or rather, yours"(21). At this juncture in the play, Oedipus still cannot perceive who the murderer of King Laius is, even though the riddle is unsubtle. As the argument escalates Oedipus insults Tiresias and questions his prophetic powers. He mocks him and asks him where he was when the Sphinx "chanted her riddle." He goes on to say, Oedipus has the ability to comprehend the riddles, but he will not allow himself to see the truth. When Oedipus saved Thebes from The Sphinx, he answered a difficult puzzle. When the Sphinx demanded the answer to her riddle, Oedipus with his distinguished knack of riddles and having an open mind, replied correctly. The Sphinxs' puzzle is far more complex than Tiresias's elementary riddles, so Oedipus has the ability to solve the riddles but cannot let himself do so, because of his pretentiousness. We see his pretentiousness in action when he mocks Jocasta saying, "You have nothing to be afraid of. Even if my mother turns out to be a slave, and I a slave for three generations back, your noble birth will not be called in question"(77). "That riddle was not for anyone who came along to answer it called for prophetic insight. But you didn't come forward, you offered no answer told
Some common words found in the essay are:
Thebes Sphinx, Oedipus Tiresias, Nevertheless Tiresias, Tiresias Oedipus, King Laius, Oedipus Jocasta, Jocasta Oedipus, Sphinx27 Oedipus, Finally Tiresias, , oedipus' pride, riddles oedipus, lack insight, truth oedipus, talent looking outward, talent looking, riddle oedipus, deciphering riddles, pride lack, oedipus solved, looking outward,
Approximate Word count = 1027
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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