This statement irritated Oedipus even more. Oedipus used his blindness to prophesize that Oedipus would leave Thebes blind, poor, and shamed. He told Teiresias that the only reason he was not blaming him for the whole situation was that Teiresias could not see. When he presented the truth to Oedipus, Oedipus attacked his blindness. He was physically blind, but he had vision into the future. Teiresias played the role of the typical prophet in the Greek tragedy. Teiresias’ blindness was of the physical nature. Jocasta’s blindness ultimately led to her downfall. Her way of dealing with the whole deal was to kill herself. She realized what had happened, and she knew that she had played a role in them. As pieces of information came to point to the whole truth of the matter, Jocasta refused to accept what had really happened.

She had no idea that she had married her son. She knew about the prophecy, but she thought Oedipus was dead. Jocasta’s blindness was different then Oedipus’. Oedipus’ physical blindness was just as painful as his blindness to the truth. He had the blackness and the physical pain he had inflicted on himself as reminders and as punishment. With nothing to look at, Oedipus was forced to think about his life and what had happened. Oedipus’ physical blindness also left Oedipus to the wrongs of his life. Teiresias told Oedipus that he had come into Thebes with his sight, but he would leave Thebes without it. It completed the prophecies that Oedipus received from the blind prophet, Teiresias.

For Oedipus, this tragedy was discovering the truth and becoming blind. Every Greek tragedy was supposed to end with the main characters experiencing their own, personal tragedy. The blindness completed the tragedy for Oedipus. Oedipus’ physical blindness played into the whole role of the Greek tragedy. Just as Teiresias was blind and open to the truth, so was Oedipus. As soon as Oedipus knew and accepted the truth, he blinded himself. Oedipus was the person causing the bad times in Thebes. Oedipus did kill his father and marry his mother. As more and more of the story started to fall into place, Oedipus was forced to open his eyes to the truth. He was so blind that he got mad at anyone who was foolish enough to suggest such an idea. Oedipus had no idea that his real parents were Laius and Jocasta. He was blind to the truth about his own life.

He had been blinded to the truth for so long. When Oedipus finally discovered the truth, he was so distressed that he ran pins into his eyes, blinding himself. As Oedipus searched further and further, he discovered that he was the polluter and that the prophecy had come true. Oedipus called on Teiresias, and Teiresias informed him that the polluter was the King. Thebes fell onto bad times, and a prophet put the blame on a polluter of the lands. He had lived out the prophecy without even knowing he had. With this kingdom, Oedipus married Jocasta. He continued on, answered a riddle of the evil Sphinx, and ended up king of Thebes. When Oedipus learned of his prophecy, he fled his home, thinking these people were his real parents. This shepherd gave Oedipus to Polybus and Merope. In an attempt to avoid this fate, his parents, Laius and Jocasta, sent him into the mountains to die. Kind Oedipus started life with a prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. In this case, those who are blind ultimately do have a higher vision – the truth. Even when she found out the truth, she refused to accept it. Jocasta was blind to the true identity of Oedipus. When he does find the truth, he loses his physical vision.īecause of the truth, Oedipus blinds himself. Oedipus has been blinded to the truth his whole life. In Sophocles’ King Oedipus, Teiresias, the blind prophet, presents the truth to King Oedipus and Jocasta. The blind may not have physical sight, but they have another kind of vision. A blind person is said to have powers to see invisible things. Associations have been made between being blind and enlightened. The answer to their question or solution to their problem may have been obvious.

The blind prophet in oedipus