The themes of sight and blindness in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles are definitely expressed many times throughout the entire play. The play by Sophocles expresses the themes of sight and blindness from two entirely different angles. One angle that it is shown/expressed in is physical blindness. This is for the reason of Teiresias being actually and physically blind while being a prophet.
The other angle of blindness in Oedipus Rex is the inability to actually and properly see what the truth is for people who can actually see but, choose not to see the full picture. Even though King Oedipus has a vision that is perfectly fine, but he fails to properly see the truth even after he blinds himself on purpose towards the end of the play. In the same type of way that King Oedipus can’t see the truth, Jocasta has the ability with her perfect eyes to see the truth but they really do not see it after being revealed to it. Even though Joacasta knew what the truth was, she corrupted it and continued to reject it. After all, the people sighted such as Oedipus and Jocasta are still “blind” to the truth meanwhile they can perfectly see and the person who is actually blind, Teiresias, is able to see the truth better than either if Oedipus or Jocasta would.
Physical sight or being able to actually see does result in not knowing the truth or totally disregarding it. At the same time while actually not being able to see does, fortunately, mean knowing the truth and actually understanding the truth. This is all proved in the play as he decided to take his eyeballs out after properly knowing what the truth is and what it feels like. As this did happen it seems like having both is not able to happen because Oedipus had to lose his sight for the truth. In the entire play, they are showing ways about how different humans act and behave differently.
127 our experts are availableright now
They are trying to inform us that we need to open our eyes more. Some people when they see something do not see the whole truth or even try to change what they see to make it better for them. This is what the play Oedipus Rex is trying to tell us. It’s trying to help us and let us see the whole truth and nothing but the truth by fully opening our eyes to see exactly what is happening.
References
- Blindness in Oedipus – A detailed analysis of the theme of blindness in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles.
- Gradesaver: Themes in Oedipus Rex – An exploration of various themes in Oedipus Rex, including sight and blindness.
- LitCharts: Sight and Blindness in Oedipus Rex – A detailed analysis of how the theme of sight and blindness is portrayed throughout the play.
- Shmoop: Oedipus the King Quotes – A compilation of quotes related to the theme of sight and blindness in Oedipus Rex.
- Prezi: Theme of Blindness in Oedipus Rex – A visually engaging presentation that explores the theme of blindness and its significance in Oedipus Rex.
