Light And Blindness In Oedipus Rex

“I see”, says the Blind Man

Oedipus Rex is a classic Greek play written by Sophocles, one of the most celebrated dramatists from Athens. It is one of the seven surviving plays of Sophocles, all of which end in a tragedy. The play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, is a play filled with symbols and irony involving the aspect of both light and blindness. Now, as the question poses, Is the play about ‘blindness’ or ‘light’? To which we can argue that both these terms can be have several interpretations. The associated imagery and symbolism in the play manifests Sophocles ideas to the reader which gets them involved in reading and understanding the play. In my answer below, I will try and construe these terms in the context of the play and explicate

Oedipus tries to bring to light the murderer of the King Laius and solve the predicament of Thebes. Throughout the play, he is in a quest to know his true identity which lies in his fate. And the play conspicuously conveys that this fate cannot be escaped. The more a person tries to run away from his fate, the closer he gets to it, knowingly or unknowingly; the latter in Oedipus’ case. Light can also refer to life. Oedipus iron out the problem of Thebes and gives them a hope for a new life. He guides his citizens sail across the darkness of death and reach a new morning of life. Oedipus might have been blinded by ignorance but he was definitely not blind to the difficulties of his people. We know that knowledge is considered divine and so Oedipus tries to know his true identity too but he ends up in a dismal state. As he climbed the ladder towards this image of light considered as knowledge it was so bright that it literally blinded him. The repetitive theme of having vision but being unable to see is now combined with the fate of Oedipus, who is now blind but is completely aware of the truth of his life and its