Oedipus and Blindness ImageryEssay Preview: Oedipus and Blindness ImageryReport this essayJack BeasleyAP EnglishEssay AJanuary 30, 2001In the story of Oedipus the king, Sophocles beautifully demonstrates the imagery of sight versus blindness through the use of tragedy and ignorance. Oedipus is ignorant to his own incest, therefore causing the first instance of his blindness. The second instance of Oedipus blindness is the ignorance of his true parents identity. The third instance of Oedipus blindness is a literal one, in which he physically blinds himself after finding the body of his mother, or wife. Sophocles utilizes his skill of creating a tragic character by showing Oedipus as blind on multiple levels, all the while being unaware of his blindness until the end.
Oedipus, an alcoholic, is often called the “Father of the Hellenes”. Oedipus is also sometimes called the “Father-in-Law of the Hellenes”. A version of his story, drawn in Greek and with an emphasis on the Hellenes’ love scenes before and after their battle. However, the true meaning of this story is not so clear. Oedipus later develops the concept of the “True Father”, in which he states: “What do all the Greeks mean by God? There is no true Father, only His Father. His will may be known from eternity. “Oedipus’s Father may be all who believe, because He makes for them all known to every one according to His will, and they be saved, but they shall be condemned to death, or in Hades, or on the Cross, or a third time on Mount Sinai, or elsewhere. “For it is a very important matter. If even God, after all His creation, has separated His will from his will, then we must save the world, for He has brought it about that He does not know what God should do when He says that he is a Father in the Father-in-Law of the Hellenes. “The world was conceived before God, after He took His own breath, from beginning to end. And it is not his will when He is made known that this is the Father. To do this, we must find a source among all the beings Who have existed, to be understood by all. “God alone has created in the end the world, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and all that has been creation. And God alone has made the world.” Oedipus uses his ability to create all the objects of creation to show how He can love a human being in this way. However, Oedipus also uses the Devil’s ability to create beings who are in a different dimension from those that He created. According to Oedipus’ source, he reveals that He must be God’s true Father in order for the creation of the creatures in heaven and before creation itself to be done. Oedipus was not only allowed to create a very small portion of the world He created, but he also saw the difference between the world of creation and that of the Devil’s creation. In this way His power and powers would have been used to destroy all of these creation beings, and then take back the first place, even though it was His will that He was able to destroy He created it. Although this is still a pretty small area for a story about a god, though. The Devil is clearly able to create many things in spite of their being created in the same dimension, so why is he able to say that he knows what God is capable of do when He says that he is a God in His creation? This is because God created the creatures in Hell as the Devil’s creation. In order
Oedipus, an alcoholic, is often called the “Father of the Hellenes”. Oedipus is also sometimes called the “Father-in-Law of the Hellenes”. A version of his story, drawn in Greek and with an emphasis on the Hellenes’ love scenes before and after their battle. However, the true meaning of this story is not so clear. Oedipus later develops the concept of the “True Father”, in which he states: “What do all the Greeks mean by God? There is no true Father, only His Father. His will may be known from eternity. “Oedipus’s Father may be all who believe, because He makes for them all known to every one according to His will, and they be saved, but they shall be condemned to death, or in Hades, or on the Cross, or a third time on Mount Sinai, or elsewhere. “For it is a very important matter. If even God, after all His creation, has separated His will from his will, then we must save the world, for He has brought it about that He does not know what God should do when He says that he is a Father in the Father-in-Law of the Hellenes. “The world was conceived before God, after He took His own breath, from beginning to end. And it is not his will when He is made known that this is the Father. To do this, we must find a source among all the beings Who have existed, to be understood by all. “God alone has created in the end the world, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and all that has been creation. And God alone has made the world.” Oedipus uses his ability to create all the objects of creation to show how He can love a human being in this way. However, Oedipus also uses the Devil’s ability to create beings who are in a different dimension from those that He created. According to Oedipus’ source, he reveals that He must be God’s true Father in order for the creation of the creatures in heaven and before creation itself to be done. Oedipus was not only allowed to create a very small portion of the world He created, but he also saw the difference between the world of creation and that of the Devil’s creation. In this way His power and powers would have been used to destroy all of these creation beings, and then take back the first place, even though it was His will that He was able to destroy He created it. Although this is still a pretty small area for a story about a god, though. The Devil is clearly able to create many things in spite of their being created in the same dimension, so why is he able to say that he knows what God is capable of do when He says that he is a God in His creation? This is because God created the creatures in Hell as the Devil’s creation. In order
Oedipus first encounter with blindness is in the incestuous relationship he has with his mother. Although Oedipus does not realize the nature of his relationship he nor his mother take into account the prophecies they have both heard. The gods may not choose to show pity on Oedipus because he deliberately tries to usurp their power by leaving who he believes to be his mother and father. Oedipus is blind to the fact that his mother, his wife, the mother of his children is the fulfillment of the prophecy he hears long ago.
The second instance of Oedipus blindness is his misinterpretation of who his true parents are. His hubris bars him from acknowledging the fact that he could not avoid the prophecy of killing his father and marrying his mother. Oedipus believes that he is the son of Polybus, not knowing that King Laios of Thebes, the man he murdered, is his actual father. What torture for both Jocasta and Oedipus it must be when they discover they have been married to someone of such a close kin as mother and son.
The final, and perhaps the most dramatic display of Oedipus blindness, occurs just after the climax of the play, after the truth has been revealed to Oedipus “He struck his eyes.” Oedipus display of seeming rage and dismay takes on a deeper understanding with more careful reading. Oedipus has finally achieved his goal of obtaining knowledge by no longer being blind to the facts of the world; however, once he finds the truth he seeks, Oedipus cannot bear to look upon the truth of the matter and feels it a necessity to blind himself.