Oepidus the king Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oepidus the king - Essay Example The tragedy of â€Å"Oedipus the King† was presented at the third year of the Peloponnesian War, when plague was raging in the Athens. The tragedy â€Å"Oedipus the King† has in itself many references to eyes, sight, and blindness. In the centre of the story there is a man, who identifies the theme of the tragedy that is considered to be the theme of moral self-identity. It seems that in this drama the most important ideas regarding the nature and destiny of a man are expressed. The tragedy consists of a big variety of symbols and the specific symbols of blindness and sight are connected with the themes of knowledge and ignorance in it. And it is done so capaciously, simply and convincingly that it is available for the understanding even of an inexperienced reader. For example, the next lines show us that sight is used in ignorance way, while blindness can open much more: â€Å"†¦So I say this to you, since you have chosen to insult my blindness— you have y our eyesight, and you do not see how miserable you are, or where you live† (Sophocles, Oedipus the King), or other example that presents a blindness as symbol of knowledge: â€Å"He will be blind, although he now can see. He will be a poor, although he now is rich. He will set off for a foreign country, groping the ground before him with a stick† (Sophocles, Oedipus the King).