Throughout history there have been some astonishing Greek plays. Some plays were more comedic in nature, so were romance plays and then there were some that were tragic plays. One of the greatest Greek tragedy plays ever written was Oedipus the King.

Brilliantly conceived and written, Oedipus the King dramatizes the self-discovery and tragic downfall of Oedipus, the King of Thebes. It tells the story about a young Greek who was fated to murder his father, marry his mother, and in the process become the King of Thebes, before ultimately meeting his downfall due to his own deeds. That makes this play so fascinating is that there are numerous underlying themes within the story, and I will attempt to shed light on one of these themes, that being the dramatic irony of blindness. I shall do this by focusing on the words and actions of a minor character in the play, Tiresias.

A minor character is a character that is developed in such a way to help reveal themes and depict certain literary devices. Literary devices are used in mostly all literary works, as they can help reveal pertinent information and also move the story along. In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the min

"I say that without knowing it you are living in shameful intimacy with your nearest and dearest. You do not see the evil in which you live."

"You have mocked at my blindness, but you, who have eyes, cannot see the evil in which you stand; you cannot see where you are living, not with whom you share your house. Do you even know who your parents are? Without knowing it, you are the enemy of your own flesh and blood, the dead below and the living above here. The double-edged curse of your mother and father, moving on dread feet, shall one day drive you from this land. You see straight now but then you will see darkness. You will scream aloud on that day; there is no place which shall not hear you, no part of Mount Cithaeron here which will not ring its echo, on that day when you know the truth about your wedding, that evil harbor in which you sailed before a fair wind. There is a multitude of horrors which you do not even suspect, and they will equate you to yourself and to your own children."

This passage foreshadows the destruction and misery that will soon be a part of Oedipus' life. Tiresias also foreshadows the self-mutilation and destruction of Oedipus. The following quotation clearly displays the use of foreshadowing by Tiresias,

The preceding quotation foreshadows the self-destruction that Oedipus will commit because of the blindness that he holds towards his past and his fate. Tiresias explains to Oedipus that even though he can physically see now, in the future he will be blinded because he has learned the truth of his life. Tiresias clearly utilizes foreshadowing to illustrate the downfalls that will occur in Oedipus' fated life.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Oedipus King, Oedipus Rex, King Thebes, Tiresias Tiresias, Oedipus Tiresias, Rex Sophocles, Lastly Tiresias, King Tiresias, King Sophocles, Mount Cithaeron, oedipus king, life tiresias, oedipus' life, dramatic irony, theme blindness, oedipus king pg, king pg, past fate, tiresias responsible, minor character, truths life, developing theme blindness, truths life tiresias, king pg 28, tiresias responsible foreshadowing,
Approximate Word count = 1654
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)