Blindness, Death, And Ignorance In Oedipus The King

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In ancient Greece, plays were used to teach morality in the community. The audience would see what happened to the characters which then allowed them to learn how to avoid the same agonizing fate as the tragic heroes in the story. Through the use of motifs, Sophocles was able to demonstrate the consequences that occur through flaws in morality. In Oedipus the King, blindness, death, and ignorance are key aspects in the tragedy. Literary devices such as motifs, impact the way readers assess the work and compare it to their ideas. Blindness is a motif that is consistently used all throughout the play. Oedipus is able to see but he is letting his stubbornness blind him from reality. Tiresias and many other characters in the play attempt to help Oedipus find the murderer of Laius, but he does not want to believe it is him. For example, Tiresias stated directly to Oedipus, “I say you see and still are bind- appallingly: Blind to your origins and to a union in you house” (23). Tiresias directly explains to Oedipus what has been occurring in his life, yet Oedipus is more concerned with trying to find Laius’s murderer. Throughout the play, Oedipus is told and given clues that Jocasta is his actual mother, but he is too blind to see the truth. Oedipus had all the possible clues in front of him telling him that he had not…show more content…
Oedipus thirst for power corrupts him which also leads him to become blind. “To go out hunting crowns unbacked by friends and money…” (29). Oedipus is accusing Creon, his brother in law, of killing Laius in attempt to steal the crown. What Oedipus doesn’t realize is, is that he is being paranoid. Creon tried to help Oedipus find the murderer from the start and Oedipus turned his help around into untruthful accusations. Oedipus’ greed for power makes him restless thinking those trying to help him will turn his back on Oedipus in order to take his

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