OEDIPUS PRESENTATION KIAH JOHNSON RYLLE SICALAG NIC MOELLER

OEDIPUS PRESENTATION KIAH JOHNSON, RYLLE SICALAG, NIC MOELLER, RILEY DUGGAN GROUP 6

PROMPT • Blindness and Sight- Why is this so significant concerning Tiresias and Oedipus? Who all had sight regarding all the characters in the play? Who all chose to be blind and why? Oedipus was not the only character or god who was physically able to see but psychologically blind.

LITERAL MEANING • The literal meaning of blindness and sight is being able to see versus not being able to see. • In Oedipus, Sophocles has two ways that his characters can see, physically and psychologically. • Oedipus for example can see physically but fails to see the truth of what is being presented to him by Tiresias. He does not see the truth that is before him until every last piece of the puzzle is practically placed at his feet. • Plays are a reflection of the world we live in. they are pieces of literature that can be performed in front of an audience to get them to think about certain things in their society. Sophocles presents theme of blindness and sight in this play to provoke thought from the audience about being able to see the truth.

EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT • Regarding Oedipus and Tiresias, Oedipus states to Tiresias, “You have no power or truth. You are blind, your ears ad mind as well as eyes. ” (Page 25) And Tiresias says to Oedipus, “You have mocked at my blindness, but you, who have eyes, cannot see the evil in which you stand” (Page 28). This moment shows that Tiresias, who is blind, is the only one who can truly see, while Oedipus who is known as wise, is actually blind. • Blindness vs. Sight also comes into play regarding the Slave shepherd. “When he came back and saw you ruling in place of Laius, he seized my hand begged me to send him to work in the country” (Page 54). The shepherd is perfectly aware of all that Oedipus is, but he would rather blind himself to the ill fate that awaits by distancing himself from it and fleeing to the country. • Oedipus realizes he's been blind all along after talking to the shepherd, exclaiming, “ It has all come true. Light, let this be the last time I see you. I stand revealed---born in shame, married in shame, an unnatural murderer. ” (Page 89) And this is the first time he sees clearly throughout the whole story, which leads to his decision to blind himself physically, permanently. • Jocasta was also guilty of being psychologically blind. “Don’t pay attention to prophecies. If God seeks or needs anything, he will easily make it clear to us himself” (Page 50) This shows that she is also unaware of what situation is right in front of her face.

LITERARY DEVICE: SCAPEGOAT ARCHETYPE • “Now I am godforsaken, the son of an accursed marriage, my own father’s successor in the marriage bed. ” (Sophocles 98) • At this point in the novel, Oedipus has realized his prophetic fate and finally accepts it. He is represented as a scapegoat because he has admitted his wrongdoings and is ready to accept any consequences, which contributes to his blindness.

LITERARY DEVICE: VISUAL IMAGERY • “And each time the wounded eyes sent a stream of blood down his chin, no oozing flow but a dark shower of it, thick as a hailstorm. ” (Sophocles 94) • The visual imagery in this quote represents the literal blindness of Oedipus after he figures out what he has done. His figurative “blindness” to the prophecy he had fulfilled has now been looked over.

LITERARY DEVICE: LIGHT VS. BLINDNESS THEME • “But I will begin afresh. I will bring it all to light. ” (Sophocles 10) • This quote reveals that Oedipus’s vision and intelligence have made him a great king, given that he solved the riddle of the Sphinx and revitalized Thebes. However, he was blind to the truth about his life. It took the blind prophet Tiresias to shed some light in Oedipus’s mind. When Oedipus mocks Tiresias’s blindness, he predicts that Oedipus, too, will be blind and it indeed happens. But although Oedipus becomes blind, he has learned to see something that he couldn’t before he was blind.

TIRESIAS PROPHESIZES OEDIPUS’ FATE (31) • At this moment, Oedipus initially calls for Tiresias to help determine the cause of the plague on Thebes, but because of his temper, Oedipus dismisses the prophet’s warnings. • Oedipus’ metaphorical blindness at this moment provides dramatic irony as well as foreshadowing the later event when Oedipus blinds himself. • Ironically, the blind priest saw more of the truth than prideful Oedipus. Tiresias even bluntly said, “You are the murderer, you are the unholy defilement of this land. ” (23) to Oedipus, yet, the smartest man at guessing riddles wasn’t able to understand Tiresias’ warnings.

OEDIPUS TAKES THE GOLDEN PINS AND BLINDS HIMSELF (93) • After seeing Jocasta swinging from a noose, Oedipus takes the golden pins from her clothes and speared his eyes, claiming that this punishment befits the heinous deeds he has committed. • This moment marks the resolution of Oedipus’ demise and the dramatic irony that encompasses the whole tragedy. Oedipus, finally, literally becomes blind after being metaphorically blind until the climax. A catharsis also presents itself as the audience feels the emotions discharged when Oedipus “struck his eyes again, and again. ” (93).

OEDIPUS CALLS ON CREON TO EXILE HIM (106107) • At the end of the tragedy, Oedipus requests Creon to give Jocasta proper burial rites and to exile him to lift the curse on Thebes. • Towards the end, Oedipus retains some of his pride and duties as a king: to protect his people. Though he chose to be blind to his destruction, Oedipus always watchful of his city and the people in it. He fulfills his role as a tragic hero when he takes on his punishment alone to save Thebes from the plague.

JOCASTA REALIZES THAT OEDIPUS KILLED LAIUS (77) • • • In “Oedipus Rex” some of the significant events are mental psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. Describe how Sophocles manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. “You had your ankles pinned together, and I freed you. ” (74) • When the Corinthian messenger is brought it, Sophocles creates a Q&A type of conversation between Oedipus and the messenger. Even though Jocasta is not included in the conversation, the audience knows that she’s present because she was there when the messenger came in, convincing Oedipus that he has nothing to fear because Polybus, Oedipus’ adoptive father, is dead. • The dramatic irony adds to the suspense to the conversation in that Oedipus is the only one who is blind to the truth. Both Jocasta and the audience knows the truth behind Oedipus’ pinned ankles. Even though Jocasta is not included in the conversation, she can be imagined to have a growing horrified expression. “In God’s name, if you place any value on your life, don’t pursue the search. It is enough that I am sick to death. ” (77) • The climax of Jocasta’s internal conflict finally occurs when the messenger reveals that Oedipus was found with his ankles pinned together. Her earlier bravado, in which she assured Oedipus that he had nothing to worry about since Polybus was dead, can almost be heard breaking like glass, and saying that she is sick to death foreshadows her later outcome.

2004 PROMPT • Critic Roland Barthes has said, “Literature is the question minus the answer. ” In Oedipus Rex, considering Barthes observation, analyze a central question the work raises and the extent to which it offers any answers. Explain how Sophocles’ treatment of the question affects your understanding of the work as a whole. • One of the central themes and questions in the novel is regarding fate and its inevitability. Is fate really inevitable? If you know the future are you really going to change anything or are the actions you take to avoid that future just going to take you there anyway? • In Oedipus, Laius tries to stop the prophesy that he will be killed by his son by sending his son to be abandoned and die. What end up happening is that by doing so he sets in motion a chain of events that end with him being killed by his son. • Similarly in trying to avoid killing his father and marrying his mother Oedipus runs away which leads to him killing his father and marrying his mother.

2004 PROMPT CONT. • These are the only answers we get from the book. But they aren’t really answers. They’re just examples of what happened to two people trying to escape their fate. We don’t know if it would have turned out any different had they not gotten prophesies that they then tried to avoid. • Sophocles leaves us pondering over the inevitability of fate and what degree of free will we have. This affects our understanding of the novel because at the end of the play we have pity for Oedipus because we see it as not being his fault. That his fate was inevitable and that he was just unlucky to have that future.

WORKS CITED • “Catharsis” Literarydevices. net, https: //literarydevices. net/catharsis/ • Oedipus the King by Sophocles • https: //www. litcharts. com/lit/oedipus-rex/themes