Oedipus and his Blindness
...what is dark to light (1259). Oedipus wants to overcome his blindness and he pursues this goal throughout the play. Another ironic example of the theme of blindness is a prophet introduced later in the play, Teiresias, who is physically blind yet clairvoyant. Teiresias tells Oedipus that he cannot see the evil (1264) and says to him You mock my blindness do you? But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind (1266). This intensifies the fact that Oedipus is ignorant to the truth. Teiresias, a blind prophet, can see the truth about Oedipus, and yet Oedipus, with his perfect physical sight, cannot see this truth. Later in the play, Oedipus realizes the truth about his past. Oedipus can now see the truth clearly, and yet he still does not want to accept it or see it. Therefore, to rid himself of this truth, Oedipus physically blinds himself, saying No more shall you look on the misery about me...too long [you have] been blind to those for whom I was searching (1288). This...