Oedipus The King, 4

Use of sight/light:

Sophicles constantly has cahracters reffering to their sight or encorparating blindness into the plot. For example towards the begining of the story Oedipus consults a blind profit for advice who tells him, "How terrible-to see the truth when truth is only pain to him who sees" (176, 359). Terrisias cannot see but he knows the truth and knows that Oedipus wont accept the painfull truth because he can "see" it. Another example of this would be when Oedipus discovers the truth, "O god- all come true, all burst to light! O light- now let me look my last on you" (232, 1306). Oedipus can now see the truth and he is declaring that it is revealed by "the light". Finnaly when Oedipus decides to cut out his eyes he defends his decision by saying, "Nothing i could see could bring me joy" (241, 1472). Oedipus thinks that the pain will be less now that he cannot see like the profit said so he cut out his eyes. He now can see the truth because he is blind.

This use of sight creates the idea that truth only visable completely to those who do not use their eyes. This more clearly defined by analyzing Oedipus and how he was blinded by his mother's apperance and was not able to see that she was indeed his mother. If he was blind he would not have been blinded by her looks.