Sophocles Oedipus the King - 539 Words

People can be blinded by the truth. In the play, Oedipus the King, there are many references to blindness and sight throughout. Certain characters have physically limited blindness such as the prophet Teiresias, but have the ability to â€Å"see† the truth. While other characters such as Oedipus, have perfect vision, but they’re â€Å"blind† to the truth. In the play, sight is used to represent knowledge. An example would be how prophets or seers, can â€Å"see† the truth behind what is really going on. Throughout the play, Oedipus is â€Å"blind† to everything that alludes to his downfall despite being pretty obvious. The underlying question in the play is if one can alter his fate. Sophocles uses sight and blindness to answer this question by showing that being blind or having sight can alter one’s fate. When Oedipus is â€Å"blind† from the truth, he is â€Å"safe† from his destiny. He is safe because if he doesn’t know anything about the prophecy, it won’t come true in a way. He believed his biological parents to be the King and Queen of Corinth. So when he killed King Laius, it would have been just a random person to him and not his real father. But once he learns of the prophecy, this is when the actual prophecy unfolds. He flees Corinth because of what the oracle said to him. Thus setting in motion the events of the play. If Oedipus was never made aware of the truth, then he could have remained blissfully ignorant and may have not fulfilled the prophecy. If Oedipus, on the other hand was madeShow MoreRelatedOedipus The King By Sophocles848 Words   |  4 PagesOedipus the King, written by Sophocles, follows the tragic story of a king named Oedipus who goes from an all-powerful ruler to a hopeless blind peasant. Oedipus the King was written as a play and performed in front of an audience. Sophocles shows in Oedipus the King that one cannot escape the fate of the gods. Throughout the play Oedipus struggles to find a solution and change all the troubles in his life. The play observes the story of Oedipus who defies the gods and through the journey experiencesRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King1714 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"ideal tragedy† is the play â€Å"Oedipus the King† written by Sophocles. In this play, Sophocles utilizes the concept of tragedy as well the theory of the importance of scenes of recognition and reversal to create a setting, tone, and mood throughout the play. Oedipus, the mythical king of Thebes, go es through a horrendous tragedy which includes moments of recognition and reversal. These moments are key to the fame and appreciation for the play, â€Å"Oedipus the King†. 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I will analyze several different sources that discuss fate and human agency in Oedipus the King and then proceed to build my original argument on the archaic debate. There has been a great dealRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King Essay1960 Words   |  8 Pages This would have been excellent advice for the main character in Sophocles drama, Oedipus the King. However, the drama was written as a result of Sophocles life and the influence of the humanistic culture in which he lived. Throughout Sophocles life, he gained military knowledge as the son of a wealthy armor manufacturer and received an excellent Greek education with emphasis on Homeric poetry (textbook). Furthermore, Sophocles was very involved in politics and served as a treasurer, a generalRead MoreOedipus The King, By Sophocles1407 Words   |  6 PagesWhen we think about a tragic play or protagonist, most people would think Shakespeare for his common theme of his plays to end with a tragedy. In Oedipus the King, written by Sophocles, tells the tale of the protagonist Oedipus. Throughout the play, Oedipus searched for his past to discover the reason why his kingdom is plagued with wilting crops and illnesses. In the end, he becomes a tragic protagonist after discovering his past was related to the previous king’s death. While the search progressedRead MoreSophocles Oedipus The King871 Words   |  4 PagesThe plays written by Sophocles, â€Å"Oedipus the King â€Å"and â€Å"Antigone† are bodies of work displayed the meaning of what Aristotle defined as a tragedy. â€Å"Oedipus the King† is a story of a king trying to avoid the fate of his life that has been prophesized before his birth. In â€Å"Antigone† is story of a girl who devoted to her family, and regardless of the orders made the king Creon. In these stories the archetypes and hamartia of Antigone and Oedipus play a major role in the story. In â€Å"Antigone† the character