Sophocles Oedipus Rex Essay Research Paper Throughout

Sophocles. Oedipus Rex Essay, Research Paper

Throughout history there have been some astonishing Greek plays. Some plays were more comedic in nature, so were romance plays and then there were some that were tragic plays. One of the greatest Greek tragedy plays ever written was Oedipus the King.

Brilliantly conceived and written, Oedipus the King dramatizes the self-discovery and tragic downfall of Oedipus, the King of Thebes. It tells the story about a young Greek who was fated to murder his father, marry his mother, and in the process become the King of Thebes, before ultimately meeting his downfall due to his own deeds. That makes this play so fascinating is that there are numerous underlying themes within the story, and I will attempt to shed light on one of these themes, that being the dramatic irony of blindness. I shall do this by focusing on the words and actions of a minor character in the play, Tiresias.

A minor character is a character that is developed in such a way to help reveal themes and depict certain literary devices. Literary devices are used in mostly all literary works, as they can help reveal pertinent information and also move the story along. In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the minor character of Tiresias is responsible for foreshadowing Oedipus. fate, developing the theme of blindness, and also illustrating dramatic irony. Tiresias uses his fortune teller abilities to foreshadow the anguish and destruction that Oedipus will encounter after he learns the truths of his life. Tiresias is also responsible for further developing the theme of blindness by using his own physical blindness to reveal to Oedipus his intellectual blindness. Lastly, Tiresias is ultimately responsible for imposing dramatic irony because of his great knowledge of the truth of Oedipus. In Sophocles. Oedipus Rex, the character of Tiresias is developed in such a way that he utilizes many dramatic devices in order to reveal information and move the play along. As a fortune teller, Tiresias is able to see the fate and destruction of Oedipus. life. Tiresias uses his great ability to reveal to the reader the downfalls in Oedipus. life that will soon occur because of his quest to know his fate.

The character of Tiresias demonstrates the use of foreshadowing in order for the reader to be aware of Oedipus. fate.

.You have mocked at my blindness, but you, who have eyes, cannot see the evil in which you stand; you cannot see where you are living, not with whom you share your house. Do you even know who your parents are. Without knowing it, you are the enemy of your own flesh and blood, the dead below and the living above here. The double-edged curse of your mother and father, moving on dread feet, shall one day drive you from this land. You see straight now but then you will see darkness. You will scream aloud on that day; there is no place which shall not hear you, no part of Mount Cithaeron here which will not ring its echo, on that day when you know the truth about your wedding, that evil harbor in which you sailed before a fair wind. There is a multitude of horrors which you do not even suspect, and they will equate you to yourself and to your own children..

Oedipus the King, pg 28.

This passage foreshadows the destruction and misery that will soon be a part of Oedipus. life. Tiresias also foreshadows the self-mutilation and destruction of Oedipus. The following quotation clearly displays the use of foreshadowing by Tiresias,

.You see straight now but then you will see darkness..

Oedipus the King, pg 28.

The preceding quotation foreshadows the self-destruction that Oedipus will commit because of the blindness that he holds towards his past and his fate. Tiresias explains to Oedipus that even though he can physically see now, in the future he will be blinded because he has learned the truth of his life. Tiresias clearly utilizes foreshadowing to illustrate the downfalls that will occur in Oedipus. fated life.

Tiresias further develops the theme of blindness in Oedipus the King. Tiresias is a blind man who can actually see the fated outcome of Oedipus. life. Even though Oedipus has full use of his physical vision, he is completely blind of his past and his fate. Tiresias uses his own physical blindness to make Oedipus aware of his own intellectual blindness towards the truths of his life. Tiresias reveals to Oedipus that it is Oedipus. physical sight that deters him from seeing the truths of his past. The proceeding passage illustrates the theme of blindness as revealed by Tiresias to Oedipus.

.You have mocked at my blindness, but you, who have eyes, cannot see the evil in which you stand;.

Oedipus the King, pg 28.

This quotation clearly depicts the development of the theme of blindness, as Tiresias is telling Oedipus that even though he can see, physically he is blinded by his quest to know the truth of his life. Tiresias tells Oedipus that he cannot see the torment that is a part of Oedipus. life. Tiresias reveals to the reader that to see physically does not mean that you can see intellectually, as Oedipus clearly displays towards his past and his fate. Dramatic irony is used to provide the reader with some relief, perhaps comical, through the use of knowledge from one character or even the reader that another character is oblivious to which, in turn, creates an ir