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Examples Of Blindness In Oedipus The King

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Oedipus’ pride and confidence were influenced by the themes in Oedipus the King. Once the themes of blindness and identity came out to show the true horror of the situation Oedipus still represented those traits that the blindness to his identity developed in him. The blindness referring to before he found out the truth of his identity, what he was unable to see and what he just didn’t want to see. The identity theme referring to when he truly figured out who he really was. Blindness and identity influenced Oedipus in different ways as Oedipus the King played out.
Blindness influences Oedipus with pride and courage. The blindness referring to before he found out the truth of his identity, what he was unable to see and what he just didn’t want …show more content…
“You came and by your coming saved our city, freed us of tribute which we paid of old to the Sphinx, Cruel singer. This you did in virtue of no knowledge we could give you, in virtue of no teaching” (Sophocles 1564). This shows what Oedipus’ reality was while he was blind to the truth. The influences this blindness offered him gave him a great deal of pride. In himself, in his place on the throne, and in his home as a husband. Even when the ship began to go down Oedipus was unwilling to see what was really going on. When the blind prophet tells Oedipus about but he is quick to deny. Khalid describes Oedipus’ unwillingness to see as “The irony is very obvious here since Oedipus is the one who is as blind as Tiresias in his own sense.”(2) Oedipus’ pride was influenced by the blindness because of his perception of himself, that wasn’t altered until he knows his true identity. Oedipus’ …show more content…
In the end when he does find his identity this influences his pride and confidence as well. Once Oedipus could really see who he was for the first time he was rash in his acts after finding out. Quickly going and gouging out his eyes plunging into literal darkness after he had finally seen the light. As well as asking to be exiled immediately. Oedipus’ pride is influenced by identity, when he found out who he really was he had too much pride to face everyone. While he was on top of Thebes his pride was shared by his people. When he found his identity his pride was too great to accept everyone’s disappointment including his kids most of all. Galens describes his act “He blinds himself in an act of self-punishment and self-protection, since he is deeply horrified by his own crimes and unwilling to face others’ gazes” (218). Confidence the other characteristic of Oedipus that was influenced by who he thought he was largely unchanged no matter what tragic event had happened. As he was built up to become who he was he became overly confident. When he found his true identity, as the husband of his sister, and the father of incestuous children, he still made decisions with swift and absolute certainty. Yet as a man all the people he had stomped on previously while on the throne suddenly had more power over him to drain his confidence level. Oedipus after he had seen

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