Blidness_of_Oedipus

Blidness of Oedipus One of the main underlying themes in Oedipus 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. You can’t just simply say "blindness", because, it has a double meaning. It can be broken down into two components: Oedipus's ignorance to see the truth, and his willingness to see. 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, Teiresias, who is physically blind, but who can see with his mind the truth and flaws of others. This just reaffirms Oedipus as oedipus, blindness, truth, play, things, physical, just, blind, , two, true, past, oedipus's, man, learns, ignorant, himself, end, desperately, components, cannot, because, action, act, accept, about, yet, would-be, willingness, way, vision, unfortunately, underlying, throughout, think, thereafter, themes, teiresias, smallest, situation, simply, shown, seer, say, saw, revealed, response, reaffirms, prophet, problem, points