The Idea Of Sight In Oedipus The King By Sophocles
The magic inside Sophocles’ play, Oedipus The King, is that it is filled and decorated through many different opportunities to be interpreted by every individual reader. A huge section left to be interpreted is the idea of sight. As any reader could describe sight, it would be sectioned into two categories. Those categories include “non-physical” and “physical” sight. Throughout Oedipus, Sophocles uses dramatic irony by placing characters in situations without vision of what’s really going on in order to assist in comparing the importance of literal or “physical” sight and “non-physical” sight.
Oedipus’ decisions and path he chooses are heavily influenced by his inevitable fear of fulfilling the prophecy set forth by the gods for him. This belief is the “non-physical” example of sight in Oedipus The King. Oedipus flees his childhood home and destines to escape the prophecy and evade the gods, saving himself from the horrific fate he heads towards.
However, even after trying to desperately to avoid the outcome of his fate, killing his father and marrying his own mother, he fails. Oedipus’ own ignorance regarding the truth that the prophetic scenario has come true creates a umbrella of irony over the entire city of Thebes. As the people of Thebes describe Oedipus, he is “a most respected king.”( ) Most hold this opinion because Oedipus is the one who “disenthralled [the people of Thebes] from the Sphynx.” In the time when Thebes is crashing down to its end, the people call for Oedipus’ help saying they “plead with [Oedipus] to find for [the people of Thebes] a cure.” Yet, the ironic aspect of their requests is that their perceived sight of Oedipus is one that lack the knowledge of his wrongdoings and therefore creates situational irony that causes readers to question how nobody could “see” the truth of the prophecy unfolding before them.
In addition, Sophocles demonstrates dramatic irony through Oedipus’ conflict with Teiresias. Teiresias is summoned to Oedipus to inform Oedipus of who the murderer of Laius is but ends up refusing to tell the truth. Oedipus reacts by becoming angry and attacks Teiresias, saying, “You’re blind, your ears and mind as well as eyes.” The irony of the situation is that Teiresias is accusing Oedipus of being blind in many aspects, when Teiresias himself is literally blind. Sophocles seems to do this purposefully, adding to the importance of “non-physical” sight and “physical” sight by indirectly comparing the two men. This instance is also a from of foreshadowing at the events that unfold for Oedipus.
