Oedipus Tyrannus

Oedipus Tyrannus

Sophocles’s play, “Oedipus Tyrannus”, is one of the most well known Greek tragedies. For those who are not familiar with the story of Oedipus, it is written about the results of a curse put on King Oedipus. After reading this play, it is apparent that there are a few different themes, though the one which will be discussed in this essay is the theme of blindness. The theme of blindness is shown through the blind prophet, through Oedipus’s blindness in realizing the truth, and finally through Oedipus stabbing his own eyes to the point of blindness.

The first way that blindness is portrayed in this play is through Teiresias, who is a blind prophet. He is called to the city of Thebes by Oedipus in hope that he can provide some information about the murder of the previous king, Laius. Oedipus asks Teiresias to tell him what he knows. At first, he is hesitant but he eventually gives in and explains that it is Oedipus who is the murderer of Laius. This enrages Oedipus, who becomes angry with Teiresias and begins to criticize him for his blindness saying, “your ears are deaf, your eyes are blind, your mind-your mind is crippled!” (Sophocles 10). This comment is quite humorous to the audience because it does not truly describe Teiresias, but Oedipus instead.

The next way that the theme of blindness is shown is through Oedipus’s blindness is in realizing the truth of his life. He was given hints by many people, yet was still oblivious to the reality. Oedipus’s first hint was when a drunken man accused him of not being his father’s son. Next was the prediction from Apollo, who said that he will marry his mother and kill his father. His next clue was from Teiresias, who claimed that he was the murderer of the former king. Despite the many hints, that was still not enough. Following Teiresias, was the messenger who told Oedipus that the parents who raised him were not his real parents. Finally, it all came together when the shepherd came and confirmed that Oedipus was in fact the child of Laius, and that is when he realizes that the oracle’s predictions were correct. These clues that Oedipus overlooked, all contributed to the proof that he was blind to the facts of his life.

The final way that the theme of blindness is portrayed in this play is through Oedipus