... of the play Oedipus Rex, the protagonist Oedipus is rational, mature, admired and independent of others. "Oedipus, famous among all men," he himself quotes. He has the power to curse the unknown criminal and therefore he is nearly divine. He is sure of his strength and foresight, seen through ... oracle, for fear that he will one day kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus' biological parents, King Laius and Queen Jocasta, sent their son away to be killed. After the estranged shepherd did not fulfill his duty, he proceeded to tell King Laius and wife that he had murdered the young ...

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... , king, this man, this murderer-he is here. In name he is a stranger among citizens but soon he will be shown to be a citizen true native Theban, and he'll have no joy of the discovery: blindness for sight and beggary for riches his exchange, he shall go journeying to a foreign country tapping his way befor him with a stick. He shall be ... proved father and brother both to his own children in his house: to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both: a fellow sower in his father ... it told him that it was fate that he should die a victim at the hands of his own son."œ (41). This ...

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... soothsayer warns the King that the gods disagree with his decision to defile the body of Oedipus's son. Offended by Creon's pride and by his refusal to bury Polynices, the gods threaten to take the life of Creon's son. Tiresias' prophetic warning is met with anger and rejection, and he is sent away. Nonetheless ... of this person will cure the city. The play unfolds as a murder mystery as Oedipus sets out to find the killer of Laius. Sight and blindness is a motif throughout the plays, and plays a crucial role in the dramatic irony of Oedipus the King. Tiresisas the blind prophet is summ...

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... proving that all he is doing is getting rid of all of his relatives so he has no competition. Antigone's actions cause a lot of people's eyes to be opened and blindness to be taken away. Antigone's actions proves that woman are not servants or dumb. She does this by proving that she was right in burying her brother when King Creon ... to change it but she is already dead. She turns King Creon's life around and opened his eyes at what was left. After she died King Creon's son and wife killed themselves first his son because of Antigone and the his wife because she had no sons left. Antig...

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... The King, many characters are distracted by the physical world, which causes them to be blinded by the most obvious of truths. In Oedipus The King, Sophocles uses blindness as a motif. Oedipus, the main character, could not see the truth. Teiresias, the blind seer, "saw" it plainly. Jocasta, Oedipus" wife and mother, ... to truth of Oedipus" identity. In addition, Laius, Oedipus father, was blind to think that he could cheat destiny with simply mortal actions. The blindness in Oedipus The King is an effective contrasting technique used by Sophocles to influence the actions of many of the ...

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... : The Human Experience ; Edited by Richard Abcacian, Marvin Klotz with Peter Richardson, St. Martins Press Inc. NY. 1998, one of the themes is blindness. Not just fisical but emotional and even intelectual in some ways. The issue of blindness in the story could be interpreted in different ways, depending on the situations that present themselfs during the development of the plot. For ... only needs to chose for ones self and believ. But even if life is already planed one must try their hardest to handle whatever comes their way. For Teresias physical blindness could have been fate but h...

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... adamant in the edict against Polyneices being buried. Creon considered Polyneices a traitor- who broke his exile to come back with fire and sword against his native city whose one idea was to spill the blood of his blood and sell his own people into slavery (p. 197) "This is my command, ... proclaims his role as ruler " And the City proposes to teach me how to rule?-(p 220) Only after Creon had a rift (p.20) that alienated his son, Haimon, and the prophet, Teiresias, he acknowledged that the decision to have Antigone killed and not to bury her brother, Polyneices, was wrong. It seemed t...

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... and that the amount of power he held meant nothing as then it becomes too late for him to recognize his wrongs before he is told that Antigone and his son lay dead. Likewise Oedipus could not fight his fate as he continued to make choices that did not work right for him .His ignorance of his actions did not require ... in the lives I cut down with these hands !( Oedipus the king, page 232,lines 1306-1310). His need for truth kept pushing him to continue his search. The idea of blindness is commonly used in both plays, it depicts that how one can deny or purposefully become unaware to th...

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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... nature of the situation and himself. He desperately wants to know, to see, but he cannot. At this point, it is obvious that Oedipus's action must be to overcome his "blindness". Ironically, into the play is introduced a prophet, Teiresias. He is physically blind but is a clairvoyant. He does not wish to tell Oedipus the true nature of the situation and attempts ... is his father that he killed and Iocaste is his mother that he is laying with. However, Iocaste informs him that she too received a prophecy many years ago that her son would kill Laios so she quickly had him removed upon his...

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... futile" are the words Iocasta said to Oedipus (Sophocles, 103). Although the events that led to Oedipus fulfilling the prophecy of being found "at once brother and father of children; son and husband of the woman who bore him; shedder of his fathers blood," (Sophocles, 88) Oedipus the decided and executed these actions. What a fate for Oedipus who ruled greatly for ... fates. As for justice, the gods are justice. Readers will notice that Oedipus was not wise to the fact that his actions helped bring the prophecy from Apollo true. This blindness helps turn the readers against the gods. H...

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... Sophocles" play "Oedipus Rex" you experience the classic illustration of a tragedy. Inside a book it is easier for one to notice the references to sight and blindness. However, it is hard to believe that sight and blindness really are metaphors at all. In the movie, the characters speak and they show the clear images of the comparison between light and darkness. It is ... ...

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... Put in my hands unsought-if for this power Creon desires in secret to destroy me! (Rex.1.174-180). The contrast between the outward glory and inward blindness of Oedipus and the outward blindness and inward sight of the prophet is representative of the fact that in order to see all that is truly there one must ignore the world they see ... ...

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... is his lack of sympathy for others. This is shown in the way he handles the insulted corpse, and his punishment for Antigone. Although Polyneices fought against his native city, his corpse should have been honored for the sake of his family. Antigone, Polyneices" sister, was bothered by the thought of no reverence or prayers ... they like,"(48-49). This is an unnecessary and heartless way to address the situation to the public. Even though Antigone is Haemon's, Creon's son, future wife, he orders for the girl to be killed in response to her attempt to honor Polyneices" corpse. He should ...

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... the riddle of the Sphinx that led to him becoming king. Ironically, it is these traits that cause Oedipus" downfall. Which eventually leads to Iokaste's suicide and Oedipus" self-inflicted blindness. Oedipus was without doubt a wise man, for he had solved the riddle of the Sphinx and saved Thebes. The priest verbalizes his and the citizens of Thebes" respect of Oedipus ... ...

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... Oedipus at Colonus, he is elderly and without a city to call home. His two sons have betrayed him and his wife is long dead. However, Oedipus still seeks dignity. Oedipus" blindness, but ability to see the truth is ironic. Others have sight, but are corrupted and blinded by power and greed. VII. Vocab attatched VIII. Criticism Oedipus" courage and knowledge makes ... ...

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... giving the orders at the start he eventually needs to take orders from others. He finally ends up needing to be guided around the world because of his self inflicted blindness. It shows the power shift and demise of a strong person who was unable to change his fate even though everyone had tried to change it. I think the play is also ... ...

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... and apply the correct behavior into their religious practices. This was also emphasized by the conflict Sophocles created between the characters, Oedipus and Teiresais, as well as through Sophocles" technique, blindness versus sight. The second message was relayed to the audience through the actions of Oedipus towards Creon, that directing blame where blame isn't to be rightfully had leads to downfall ... ...

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... as promised earlier, even though the killer is him. He seems to be very willing to accept his responsibility, since he does not commit suicide, instead gives himself a life of blindness and misery. However, in Sophocles" Oedipus at Colonus, he seems to pity himself greatly, and also his daughters, understandably. When someone mentions what he did, he does not want to ... ...

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... to the destruction of Oedipus Rex. This proves that man has no power to stop what has been destined to happen. Iokaste through love and concern for her son tries to prevent these awful prophecies from happening, but in the end she is the ultimate cause of Oedipus Rex's grief and downfall. In life there is ... supposed to be played out. Iokaste throughout the play does not even realize what she has done. She does not realize that she is the one that put her son in all of his misery. For example when Oedipus says, Ah, what net has God been weaving for me? The Iokaste says Oedipus! Why does...

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... turn out to have peripeteia outcomes. "Oedipus Rex", by John Bennett and Moira Kerr, is a story about a young man named "Oedipus", son of the Corinth, who attempts to escape his fate of killing his father. In "Antigone", by E.F. Watling, Antigone, the daughter of Oedipus, wants to ... terrible prophecy that he would kill his own father had not come true! ...All the oracles had been right: Laius had been murdered by his own son, Oedipus," (2-3, Bennett and Kerr). Oedipus was overjoyed that he evaded the fate of killing his own father, the king of Corinth. But he ... from the prophet, Creo...

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... leads to his downfall. Haemon's rebellion against his father can be considered the catalyst to Haemon's manhood. He is implicated in a man versus man conflict, more specifically, the father versus son conflict. This is a turning point in Haemon's life, where he has the courage to rebel against, confront and question his father's actions and decisions. To better understand how Antigone and ... feminist and symbolizes a strong, powerful woman. She shows that no man can silence her and that only the gods themselves can stop her from fulfilling her goal. Kreon's position on a son's role is ...

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... ', Antigone, to death because she has broken the law by burying her brother, Polyneices. Because Creon's son, Haemon, feels that his father is being irrational, Haimon tries to persuade Creon to stop the death of Antigone. Furthermore, Haimon has ... feelings for Antigone which raises his desperation to convince his father. After Haimon cautions Creon against being single-minded and self-involved, Creon becomes enraged and calls his son disrespectful and the slave of a woman. Creon also states that he will not go to school to a boy, which further shows his arrogance. The purpose of ... ,...

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... crime is pride...(35) states Teriesis in Antigone Scene 5. This statement is directed toward Creon and demonstrates the supreme error in judgement which leads to the death of his son Haimon and wife Eurydices. Creon was a very intelligent leader who endeavored to due what was right for society, however due to his pride or "hubris" is the tragic ... if this crime goes unpunished. " (80)Antigone Scene 2. At the close of the play Creon realized he was in error. "I have been rash and foolish. I have killed my son and my wife. I look for comfort; my comfort lies here dead. Whatever my hands ...

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... he became the ruler of Thebes, Creon became proud and arrogant. An example of his pride and arrogance was shown when Creon refused his son's request to spare his bride from the death sentence. Creon told his son, "Imagine it: I caught her in naked rebellion, the traitor, the only one in the whole city. I"m not about to prove myself a liar, not to ... hymns to Zeus who defends all bonds of kindred blood" (732 -737). Creon was humbled after he realized his tragic error in judgment and after he lost his son and his wife to suicide. After Creon learned of the suicide of his wife and son, he...

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... did not kill Laius, even though all of the signs begin to point to that very conclusion. Jocasta reveals that an oracle told her husband that their son would one day kill his father and marry his mother. In order to avoid this fate, the baby's ankles are pinned together and it is abandoned ... plan is thwarted when the baby is rescued and allowed to live. It is adopted as a son by the king and queen of Corinth, Polybus and Merope. Laius and Jocasta made a rash decision to abandon their son in order to avoid the forecast of the oracle. If they had just let Oedipus grow up ... dead. Anot...

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