Blindness in Oedipus

Oedipus thought his life was great. Feeling powerful and almighty, Oedipus was wonderful at solving riddles, but did not like the answer to the riddle of who he really was. Although many told him to stop trying to figure out the answer, it was not in his nature to give up. Oedipus thought he could see everything, but he was actually blind of the truth about his life until the end. In the beginning, Oedipus is told by Teiresias that he lives in shame. Of course, Oedipus feels that Teiresias is blind of not only sight, but knowledge: The truth is strong, but not your truth. You have no truth. You're blind. Blind in your eyes. Blind in your ears. Blind in your mind.
(502-504)
Oedipus thinks he is …show more content…

(Kilborne)
Oedipus was not able to see. Of course if he had been able to see, he would have not done everything he had. Oedipus would not have slept with his mother or killed his father. Oedipus's blindness caused him all of the shame in his life. Oedipus was never supposed to "see" because he was never supposed to have lived. Sometimes to have insight is not always good. The truth usually hurts and in Oedipus' situation, everyone would have been better off being "blind" of Oedipus' background. Oedipus, after realizing the truth, does not want to see anymore. Oedipus feels that everything he has seen was not worth while: Apollo Apollo it was Apollo, always Apollo, who brought each of my agonies to birth, but I, nobody else, I, I raised these two hands of mine, held them above my head, and plunged them down, I stabbed out these eyes. Why should I have eyes? Why, when nothing I saw was worth seeing? Nothing.
(1715-1725)
Oedipus now knows that everything Apollo said about his birth came true. Oedipus plunges out his own eyes because he no