Monday, March 28, 2016
Blog Post 4
After seeing Jocasta committed suicide, Oedipus stabs his eyes out with the gold pins that held her robe together. By stabbing himself in the eyes, Oedipus blinds himself. He in essence becomes like the blind prophet, Tiresias, who earlier in the play he chastised. Tiresias says "I have escaped; the truth is what I cherish and that’s my strength."(404-405). Oedipus now has a newfound strength. Without his physical sight, he is able to see more on the "inside". he has more insight like a prophet and is able to look inside himself. Despite "[tearing] the brooches—the gold chased brooches fastening her robe— away from her and lifting them up high [dashing] them on his own eyeballs" (1455-1458), Oedipus does not make mention pain at all. The chorus asks "Is he now in any ease from pain?" (1475). The psychological pain he endures outweighs the physical pain so much that he does not fell physical pain at all. He is now no longer focused on the physical world, rather the psychological pain that goes along with realizing the truth. By realizing the prophecy about him is true, inadvertently Oedipus becomes more wise and in touch with himself. It is too late though.
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I like how you said that Oedipus' psychological pain outweighs his physical pain. In a sense, Oedipus is blinded by his mental pain because his mental pain is what will stay with him and stay an everlasting pain. The physical pain is just temporary and far less than the pain that the truth about who his is and what he did has brought upon him.
ReplyDeleteIt is ironic how Oedipus bashes and ridicules Teiresias for being blind yet he becomes blind. This exemplifies a cliche theme of what goes around, comes around. When Oedipus notes that he is better than the blind prophet, readers see that his hubris will ultimately lead to his downfall.
ReplyDeleteOedipus gets a lesson in what blindness really is. Teriesias is physically blind but he is one of the few characters who can actually see -- the truth. Now that Oedipus is physically blind, he can now see what he has been denying throughout the whole story.
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