In the play, Oedipus Rex, blindness and vision are opposing symbols. They are also both two-fold, that is they are sort of like a double-entendre in that they have both tangible and intangible symbols. In fact, it occurs all through the play in one way or another. There are those parts that have to do with the blind prophet, Teiresias, and those which refer to the blind Oedipus after he put out his own eyes. Then there are those places where the blindness is symbolic and not real at all, but really far more serious than the real blindness. In fact, this play seems to be all about the opposing forces of vision and blindness, real and symbolic.
Almost every time sight or blindness is mentioned it carries both meanings. In fact, they often occur in pairs, showing the audience the difference between wisdom or vision and blindness or ignorance. This is the first time in the play where either is mentioned, and sleeping and blind is contrasted with seeking and finding, “In this land, said the god; “who seeks shall find; / Who sits with folded hands or sleeps is blind.” (line 140) The line is made complete at the end of this part, (line 354-5) “Teiresias; he of all men best might guide / A searcher of this matter to the light.” It is just after this, that Oedipus says that he does not understand why the prophet does not attend since he has been sent for twice. Of course, we find out that he does not want to talk to Oedipus, since he knows that the source of the pestilence is the king.
Finally, Tieresius arrives, and Oedipus greets him, “Teiresias, seer who comprehendest all,/Lore of the wise and hidden mysteries,/High things of heaven and low things of the earth,/Thou knowest, though thy blinded eyes see naught” (line 380-83) Oedipus keeps at Tierasius, even accusing him of conspiring with Creon, Oedipus’ friend, until he finally speaks in anger, “since thou hast not spared/To twit me with my blindness–thou hast eyes,/Yet she’s not in what misery thou art fallen,/Nor where thou dwellest nor with whom for a mate.”(544-7) He goes on to say that Oedipus will see what horrible things he has done, and end his days as a blind wanderer. (lines 548-562) Again, this is a kind of blindness for Oedipus, because he does not believe the seer. Before he leaves, once more Tierasius says that Oedipus is blind, even though he sees and prophesies that he will become a blind wanderer. “For blind of seeing, clad in beggar’s weeds,/For purple robes, and leaning on his staff,/To a strange land he soon shall grope his way./And of the children, inmates of his home,/He shall be proved the brother and the sire,/Of her who bare him son and husband both,” (line 603-8).
During the part for the chorus this is mentioned again as they pray to Apollo, “But that a mortal seer knows more than I know–where Hath this been proven? / Or how without sign assured, / can I blame Him who saved our State when the winged songstress came,/Tested and tried in the light of us all like gold assayed? (line 661-6)They ask how they can know the truth when all they have seen is that Oedipus saved their country from the Sphinx. When Creon enters he asks, “Were not his wits and vision all astray/ When upon me he fixed this monstrous charge?” The chorus answers, “I know not; / to my sovereign’s acts I am blind” (691-3). They are talking here simply of spiritual or intellectual blindness, and claim innocence, saying they saw nothing. Creon argues his case and on lines 811-13 he points out that Oedipus is making rash charges without proof, another kind of emotional blindness. “But O condemn me not, without appeal,/ On bare suspicion. ‘Tis not right to adjudge/ Bad men at random good, or good men bad.”
Jocasta comes out to see them quarreling, and says they should not do this in front of the whole city, telling her brother to go home and her husband to go inside. After Creon leaves, still angry for being accused of conspiracy with the seer, Tierasius, and Jocasta stays to reassure Oedipus, the audience begins to “see” that this mystery is about to be resolved and that Oedipus is guilty. Jocasta also begins to fear the truth she suspects, that Oedipus might be her son. Oedipus questions her, “’Tis a dread presentiment/ That in the end, the seer will prove not blind./One further question to resolve my doubt.” (line 1040-2). They exit and once more the chorus pray for vision or wisdom, asking for vision from Zeus (line 1225-7).
In the following 300 lines, a visitor arrives to tell Oedipus of the death of his father, Polybus, hoping he will return home to rule. But Oedipus is still afraid because his mother lives and the oracle had foretold also that he would wed his mother and have children by her. So the visitor reveals that Polybus adopted him as a foundling and that it was he, himself who gave the child with his feet riveted together. He says the child was given to him by a shepherd he assumed was from Laius’s house. At this Jocasta becomes almost overcome with fear, because she knows what Laius did with the child. Oedipus says he must know and sends for the shepherd.
When the shepherd arrives, he is questioned and finally reveals that he took the child from Jocasta, and it was believed that it was her son from Laius. He was supposed to leave the baby exposed, but he pitied the child and figured he could give it to the shepherd from a distant land instead. He did not know the curse which was laid upon the child, so his act was one of simple kindness and pity for an unwanted child. When Oedipus realizes that he is, indeed, that child, then he suddenly “sees” the truth. “Ah me! ah me! all brought to pass, all true!/ O light, may I behold thee nevermore!/ I stand a wretch, in birth, in wedlock cursed,/ A parricide, incestuously, triply cursed!” ( line 1675-8).
Another messenger arrives to tell of the death of Jocasta and describe how the king found her and used her dressing pins to put out his own eyes. The messenger repeats what Oedipus said as he describes the horrible sight. “No more shall ye behold such sights of woe,/Deeds I have suffered and myself have wrought;/Henceforward quenched in darkness shall ye see/Those ye should ne’er have seen; now blind to those /Whom, when I saw, I vainly yearned to know” (line 1784-8). So now we clearly understand that Oedipus finally sees with wisdom that he was wrong and he has blinded himself so he will never see what he has done and what has been done to him. The sight here is both real and figurative.
When finally the audience again sees Oedipus, he is blind and says that he did it by his own hand and he has come to his prophesied end. “An end to dread to tell, too dark to see.” The chorus questions him about why he has done such a thing and Oedipus tells them,” Ah friend, still loyal, constant still and kind,/Thou carest for the blind./I know thee near, and though bereft of eyes, Thy voice I recognize.” The chorus replies, “O doer of dread deeds, how couldst thou mar/Thy vision thus? What demon goaded thee?” Then Oedipus replies, ”Apollo, friend, Apollo, he was/ That brought these ills to pass; But the right hand that dealt the blow /Was mine, none other. How/
How, could I longer see when sight/ Brought no delight?” He is still blaming the god, though he says he blinded himself, he blames the god for ordaining the cause. He still sees no fault in his arrogance and pride.
In lines 1893-1920, the chorus asks if Oedipus would not have been better off dead than living blind and we get all kinds of symbolic uses of sight and blindness as Oedipus replies that he could not bear to look upon his father or mother in the shade, and cannot bear to look upon the beauty of Thebes nor the faces of those whom he has so damaged by his presence and his sins, killing his father and marrying his mother, begetting children he cannot look in the face because they are cursed through him. He is condemned by his own words to death or banishment.
At the end of this play, Creon returns and brings with him the two daughters, Antigone and Ismene, who are led in to see their father before he goes into exile. He apologizes to them for what he has done, “Hands of a man who blindly, recklessly,/Became your sire by her from whom he sprang. He has begged Creon to care for them” (2033-4). He touches them and laments their fate, knowing that no man will want to marry them, because of their lineage. He says his sons can make their own way as men but begs Creon to care for his daughters since they are destined to be without a parent or spouse to provide for them. It is probable that orphan women who cannot marry become either slaves or prostitutes, and Oedipus cannot bear the thought of his daughters living like this.
Creon urges him to go inside, but Oedipus says he must be taken away to a desert and be banished from Thebes. Creon says it is for the god to declare this and sends Oedipus inside, declaring that this willfulness is what got him into such a horrible fix, that he needs to understand that this need to be master is what brought his downfall. Then Creon makes a final speech to all Thebans to pity their former king, “Who of all our townsmen gazed not on his fame with envious eyes?/ Now, in what a sea of troubles sunk and overwhelmed he lies!”(2096-7).
So we see the play has come full circle and the blind seers prophesy has come to pass, along with the predictions of both oracles. Oedipus was blinded by his pride and led into the actions which brought his sins upon him. He was too prideful to ask the oracle to explain the prediction. Then he was too prideful to let Laius pass. He killed his father, not knowing who he was, and being blinded once more by pride. He accused the seer and Creon falsely because he had not the wisdom to know that the oracle spoke the truth. He was so full of himself after solving the riddle of the sphinx that he failed to consider that if he married at all, it was possible to fulfill the oracle’s dire predictions. He just did not “see” the possibilities. He probably could not understand why the god would punish him so. Finally, he understood the horror, and then blinded himself, fulfilling the prophecy of Tierasius. However, even at the end of the play, he has to be reminded by Creon that his pride is blinding, and has brought all these things to pass.
References
Sophocles, 2008, Oedipus Rex, f. Storr translator, The Internet Classics Archive. Web.