The Greek playwright Sophocles is considered by many to be one of the best at his craft. However, only several complete plays of his still remain, all of which being considerably famous. One of Sophocles’ plays that is especially recognizable is the play Oedipus Rex, which is about the Theban king Oedipus and his downfall. Sophocles uses the motif of sight and blindness by highlighting Oedipus’ mental blindness in order to illustrate that ignorance causes misfortune not only to the oblivious person
In the play, Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles, irony is a major literary devices used throughout. Although the audience already learned of Oedipus' ill fate, Oedipus continues on his journey to discover the truth as he is blind to the knowledge of his past. Through the use of irony, Sophocles exemplifies the major theme of blindness and ignorance in the face of the truth. In the beginning of the play, a blind old prophet named Tieresias come to have an audience with, Oedipus, the king who is in search
Authors often use blindness and sight as a metaphor for knowledge and insight of the truth. For example, this was a major theme in Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, signifying the inability of African Americans to notice their everlasting inequality. Such use of the sense of sight to symbolize knowledge dates back to ancient Greek theatre. Sophocles notably employs this metaphor in his Oedipus trilogy, specifically Oedipus Rex, also known as Oedipus The King. Sophocles uses sight as a metaphor for
in the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, Part of Sophocles work of Drama. The play tells the story of the city of Thebes and it’s king Oedipus. Seeing Thebes sickened by the plague, Oedipus vows to rid the city of the disease. Oedipus learns that in order to save the city he must avenge the murder of Thebes previous king, Laïos. On a quest to find the culprit, Oedipus discovers dark secrets about himself and his past. Using the development of a sight motif within the play, Sophocles suggests that humans
In the text Oedipus the King, Sophocles puts so much trust into his senses like hear, touch, smell, taste and sight to represent the three types of irony, but mainly sight. Considering the major motif in Oedipus the King was vision, sight, and blindness. Sophocles’ use of irony is purposely interpreted to show Oedipus’s hamartia because throughout Oedipus the King there are many examples of verbal, dramatic and situational irony, which lead to the downfall of Oedipus. Sophocles uses dramatic irony
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
future for society and the individual. In the play Oedipus the King, playwright Sophocles explores these theme of Ate, or godly manipulation of man’s behavior, through the protagonist Oedipus and his family. The story discusses the kingdom of Thebes, whose King Laius is informed by an oracle that he is destined to be killed by his son, who will then replace him as his wife’s partner. In order to escape his fate, Laius sends his newborn son Oedipus off to be slaughtered
In spite of Oedipus and Othello taking place 2,000 years apart, the two heroes both face the casualties of their tragic downfalls. Oedipus by Sophocles is the story of a man destined to fail by the Gods, and does so by fate. Othello written by William Shakespeare causes his own downfall due to the blinding influence of others. Both are victims of pride that ultimately causes their downfall, but Othello is the character who better fits Aristotle’s definition. Both Othello and Oedipus can be compared