Sight and Blindness, Light and Darkness Alan Razcon 12th Grade

The only ones who can truly see are the blind, this is a popular theme throughout society, especially in Oedipus Rex where Sophocles nurtures the idea that real sight does not require eyes but the ability to better understand the surface of things. According to Sophocles, one must not only be able to see something, but one must also be able to understand it. Teiresias, the only blind person, is the only one that throughout the play can actually see what is happening and will happen. Oedipus himself only truly achieves this state of knowledge after he blinds himself with his mother’s/wife’s broach. Light and darkness (sight and blindness) takes on three different forms throughout the play, the first form refers to knowledge, the second to physical light and the third to truth; the three forms are used in many ways and they occasionally refer to multiple interpretations at the same time.

The first form of light and darkness is knowledge; this is the representation of the characters ability to see beyond the surface of things and to truly understand them. The very first example of this is spoken by Oedipus at the beginning of the play when he says, “I must bring what is dark to light” referring to the mysterious death of laius....