oeipus rex

            The main theme, which develops the central action throughout the play Oedipus Rex, focusses on the term "blindness." The beginning of the play involves Oedipus being intellectually blind of the truth, trying to find out, but not succeeding. During the middle of the play Oedipus recognizes the truth about his past and himself, discovering that he was blind. Then Oedipus punishes himself harshly by making himself physically blind. It is Oedipus's unfortunate blindness, which is his tragic flaw. He is intellectually blind as well as physically blind. He is blind of the truth of himself and his past. In the past, he was taken away from his real parents, so his destined fate would not come true. He was then found by the herdsman, who gave him to King Polybus and Merope' to raise as their child. Oedipus became older, and as he was away he killed King Laois without knowing what he was doing. After solving the riddle of the Sphinx, Oedipus became King of Thebes, and married his real mother Jocasta, not realizing who she was.
             He can see physically well at the beginning of the play, but he is blind and ignorant of the real truth about himself and his past. He believes Creon is causing him trouble and telling him lies instead of the truth. Tiresias disagrees, "No, your affliction is yourself, not Creon, (384), he says, telling Oedipus that he creates his own ill fortune. Oedipus thinks that Creon is trying to steal his throne and plot to kill him when he tells him the truth about himself. "My loyal Creon, colleage from the start, longs to sneak up in secret and dethrone me, (389). Creon is doing no such thing. Although Oedipus desperately tries to discover the truth, he does not succeed. Jocasta tries to cause Oedipus to stop looking for the truth, feeling that the truth will only cause him more pain. "For the love of the gods, and if you love your life, give up this search! My sickness is enough, (1065).