Sight And Blindness In Sophocles Oedipus The King

Oedipus Rex Draft
The infamous Greek tragedian, Sophocles, effected a transformation in the spirit and significance of a tragedy; although problems of religion and morality still provided the themes, the nature of man, his problems, and his struggles became the chief interest of Greek tragedy. A sophoclean tragedy contains recurring elements to truly engage the viewers and dramatize the plot.Common elements in a sophoclean tragedy include the protagonist being a person of noble birth and stature; the protagonist having a weakness and because of it, becoming isolated and suffering a downfall; the audience undergoing catharsis, a purging of emotions, after experiencing pity, fear, and shock. In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles uses the contrast between sight and blindness to reveal the complexities and self-inflicting irony of the protagonist, Oedipus.
On the other hand, Teiresias is physically blind; his lack of sight is made up by the fact that he can view the past, present, and future because of his prophetical nature. Both characters exhibit sight and blindness both metaphorically and literally in Oedipus Rex, and Sophocles uses these conditions to show the adverse effects of ignorance. The plot turns on the gradual revelation to Oedipus of the dreadful truth that he has become ruler of Thebes by first unwittingly slaying his father and then marrying his mother, the queen