Oedipus

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses Sophocles' "Oedipus the King" the tragedy of a king who, in the very attempt to flee his fate, brings about his destiny. The paper states that throughout the play, themes of sight and blindness occur in a number of variations. The paper describes that sight therefore could be seen to be symbolic of truth, while blindness represents hidden truths or outright lies. The paper states that at the end of the play, Oedipus blinds himself in a striking attempt to regain the innocence of his previous lack of full knowledge.

Outline:
Sight and Blindness: Oedipus
Sight and Blindness: Creon
Sight and Blindness: Jocasta
Conclusion: Free Will and Destiny

From the Paper:

"In this, the Oracle and the Chorus represent sight. They warn Oedipus against searching for the truth, as it can only lead to disaster, which ultimately it does. His desire for truth and honesty however will not let him remain blind to the true state of affairs. As Oedipus moves from his symbolic blindness to finally shedding light upon the ugly truth, he cannot handle finally seeing, and blinds himself. This literal blindness and concomitant pain now takes the place of the blissful sightlessness that he has experienced throughout his life. Oedipus journey therefore comes full circle: from blindness to sight to blindness again."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Online version: http:// classics.mit.edu/Sophocles/oedipus.html

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