Later on in the play, we see that Oedipus becomes the figure he once mocked. “No matter who he may be, he is forbidden shelter or intercourse with any man.” After declaring this punishment, Oedipus is approached by Teiresias, a frail, blind prophet who says that Oedipus is the “cursed polluter of this land.” Oedipus is horrified by this accusation and mocks the blind prophet. He declares punishment to this thing that if he owns up now then his punishment will not be harsh but if he conceals the truth and it later outed then nothing will save him. Believe me I know all that you desire of me, all that you suffer.” Oedipus learns that there is an “unclean thing” which is polluting their soil. Because of this act, he inherited the throne although when a new disaster threatened the prosperity of the city, the people of Thebes turned to Oedipus. “O greatest of men.” Oedipus was the saviour of Thebes 15 years before he solved the riddle of the Sphinx which freed the city from the plague and death. When we are first introduced to Oedipus, he is a strong leader who is thoroughly respected by the people of Thebes. “To be wise is to suffer.” Throughout this play we see that after Oedipus suffers and loses his eyesight it is only then he is able to seek the truth. To what extent is this true in Oedipus the King? And once he knows of everything he’s committed in regards to the prophecy, Oedipus blinds himself and once he’s no longer clear-sighted, he ironically gets some limited prophetic ability, which is seen in the sequel to the play, Oedipus at Colonus.“The blind man sees and the seeing man is blind.” Contrast this with the blind prophet Tiresias who is able to see the truth and tell the clear-sighted Oedipus what he knows after warning him that despite being able to see, he can’t see the truth.
Having clear vision is a metaphor for being insightful and full of knowledge, but Oedipus, who is known for being clear-sighted is blind to the entire truth throughout the story. The play also goes into a motif concerning sight and blindness as there are literal and metaphorical references to eyesight throughout it. This is also the case with the play that presents a non-exclusivity with free will and predestination. It's one of the key ironies of Oedipus Rex that Tiresias, the blind prophet, is able to see the future with absolute certainty, whereas Oedipus and Jocasta, both of whom are blessed with the gift. It doesn’t suggest that Peter was a puppet of predestination and he did so by his own free will. This can be loosely compared to The Bible and Jesus’ prophecy at the last supper that Peter would deny him three times. Had the Theban King not reacted to the prophecy by throwing young Oedipus out, he wouldn’t have been killed and had Oedipus not known of the prophecy, or that he was adopted, he wouldn’t have left and been able to kill his real father either. The very thing that was sought to be avoided by so many people was ultimately fulfilled because of the desire to avoid it. Tiresias was a blind prophet who understood what was happening around him.
The theme of sight and blindness is one of the main topics in the play. Him finding out that the man he killed was his father and that the queen he married was his mother causes him to blind himself and his wife/mother to commit suicide. The play is built on the base of antagonism considering people’s fate and possibility to change destiny, contradistinction between Oedipus and blind Tiresias, two distinct personalities.
And his leaving prompts him to kill this person that cuts him off at a crossroads and marry the supposedly single queen when he becomes king of Thebes after solving the riddle of the Sphinx. It causes his parents to throw him into the wilderness to die so that the prophecy cannot be carried out, which in turn leads to him being found and raised by the royalty of Corinth.īut Oedipus still knows of the prophecy and doesn’t want to kill his father or marry his mother and he leaves because he believes that the aforementioned Corinthian royalty are his true parents. For one, there’s the prophecy given to Oedipus’ real parents when he’s born, which says that he’s going to kill his father and marry his mother.
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