Truth About Oedipus example essay topic
418 words
Blindness in Oedipus Rex One of the main underlying themes in Oedipus Rex is blindness. Not just physical blindness, but intellectual blindness as well. The blindness issue is an effective contrasting method for Oedipus at different points in the play. Simply saying "blindness', however, is a little ambiguous. It can be broken down into two components: Oedipus's ability to "see' (ignorance or lack thereof), and his willingness to "see'. The word "see' can be used in both contexts here. Throughout the play, these two components are always at the center of the action. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus has perfect physical vision. However, he is blind and ignorant to the truth about himself and his past. He desperately wants to know, to see, but he cannot. At this point, it is obvious what Oedipus's action must be: to overcome the blindness.
All of his actions thereafter are to that end. Ironically, into the play is introduced a prophet, a seer, Tiresias, who is physically blind, but who is clairvoyant. This just reaffirms Oedipus as a man ignorant to the true appearance of things – this blind man can "see' the truth about Oedipus, yet Oedipus, in all of his physical perfection, cannot. Toward the end of the play, it is shown how Oedipus learns the true nature of things – his past is revealed to him and he learns that the oracle was correct.
Now Oedipus has gone full circle: he can see all to clearly what the truth is, but he desperately does not want to accept his fate. So, in response, Oedipus commits an act of would-be escapism: he blinds himself so that he may not see. Unfortunately, this does not help his problem. This writer thinks it was an act of cowardice because he didn't want to accept the situation the way he "saw' it, and decided instead not to see it at all. The final speech given by the Choragos can be a lesson to us all. It basically says that even the greatest of men can crumble to ruins; all humans are subject to suffering and pain.
The Choragos leaves us with what was perhaps the origin of the quote from the eternal Yogi Bear a: "It ain't over till it's over'. Don't become accustomed to good fortune until, at death, you can recall only good memories of life.
