The Vision of Blindness: Sight Against Intuition in Sophocles' Oedipus the King or from going into the light, which is true of the eye of the mind, as well as of the eye of the body; and he who remembers this when he sees someone whose sight is perplexed and weak, will not be too quick to laugh Ask; if that soul of man has left the brighter life, and cannot see because it is not accustomed to the darkness, or having turned from darkness to day it is dazzled by the excess of light, and will consider the other happy in his condition and state of being, and will have mercy on the other"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay (Plato, The Republic) The paradoxical coexistence of blindness and intuition is depicted in Sophocles' Oedipus the King, in which Oedipus experiences a devastating however, redemptive realization that the "vision" he possesses is nothing but false pride and blindness. Undergoing a complete reversal, Oedipus nevertheless maintains the fortitude necessary to actively develop and endure intense suffering to achieve extraordinary vision; deliberately grasping the kairos, Oedipus experiences a double bewilderment of the eye: a physical blindness and, more significantly, a spiritual enlightenment, resulting from his "[h]aving passed from darkness to day [being] dazzled by the excess of light (Plato, The Republic)."The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eyes are evil, your whole body will be dark. If therefore the light within you is darkness, how great will that darkness be! (Mt 6,22-23). Oedipus's "eyes are evil" and the light of day proves blinding, not because of its brilliance, but because it distracts Oedipus's eyes from all other light, especially the potential light from within, Oedipus is satisfied with what he perceives as his vision, which in reality is nothing more than an incomplete logos facilitated by techne. Believing his knowledge and rationalism to be complete, he proclaims, "I,/ Oedipus the ignorant, . . . stopped [the sphinx] -/ using thought," (401-402). Meanwhile, Oedipus unconsciously represses the lingering shadow of prophecy, because the heinous transgressions of parricide and incest are incongruent with his conception of his ideal self, and therefore uncomfortable and even frightening. With time and circumstances seeming to obscure the prophecy and confirm Oedipus' "vision", Oedipus remains unaware of his ignorance. In the eyes of his people and himself, he is the paragon of virtue, a wise man, and the noble king. Oedipus's incomplete knowledge contributes to his hamartia, fueling arrogance and leading him to declare: "But I who consider myself the son of chance, / the giver of good, will never know dishonor" (1085-1086). Oedipus' "hubris [is] directed to the good of his polis" (Bull, 6) also gives him that irrational frankness that allows him to oppose the truth, mistakenly and ironically accusing Tiresias of being "the son of the infinite night," (379) “blind in [his] ears, in [his] reason, and in [his] eyes (376). Tiresias' accusations motivate Oedipus to seek the truth, and after "his intense questioning of three witnesses" (Roochnik, 11), the truth of the prophecy becomes clear. Oedipus is determined to know the truth and himself, even if it means his downfall. With the dawn of awareness, Oedipus sees his lack of vision and the irony of his condemnation: “And it is I/ Who have uttered these curses upon myself!” (824-825). Having firmly believed in his vision and rationality, Oedipus is now left with the devastating realization that the entire system of logic,]")

Topic > The Vision of Blindness: Sight Against Intuition in Sophocles' Oedipus the King or from going into the light, which is true of the eye of the mind, as well as of the eye of the body; and he who remembers this when he sees someone whose sight is perplexed and weak, will not be too quick to laugh Ask; if that soul of man has left the brighter life, and cannot see because it is not accustomed to the darkness, or having turned from darkness to day it is dazzled by the excess of light, and will consider the other happy in his condition and state of being, and will have mercy on the other"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay (Plato, The Republic) The paradoxical coexistence of blindness and intuition is depicted in Sophocles' Oedipus the King, in which Oedipus experiences a devastating however, redemptive realization that the "vision" he possesses is nothing but false pride and blindness. Undergoing a complete reversal, Oedipus nevertheless maintains the fortitude necessary to actively develop and endure intense suffering to achieve extraordinary vision; deliberately grasping the kairos, Oedipus experiences a double bewilderment of the eye: a physical blindness and, more significantly, a spiritual enlightenment, resulting from his "[h]aving passed from darkness to day [being] dazzled by the excess of light (Plato, The Republic)."The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be filled with light. But if your eyes are evil, your whole body will be dark. If therefore the light within you is darkness, how great will that darkness be! (Mt 6,22-23). Oedipus's "eyes are evil" and the light of day proves blinding, not because of its brilliance, but because it distracts Oedipus's eyes from all other light, especially the potential light from within, Oedipus is satisfied with what he perceives as his vision, which in reality is nothing more than an incomplete logos facilitated by techne. Believing his knowledge and rationalism to be complete, he proclaims, "I,/ Oedipus the ignorant, . . . stopped [the sphinx] -/ using thought," (401-402). Meanwhile, Oedipus unconsciously represses the lingering shadow of prophecy, because the heinous transgressions of parricide and incest are incongruent with his conception of his ideal self, and therefore uncomfortable and even frightening. With time and circumstances seeming to obscure the prophecy and confirm Oedipus' "vision", Oedipus remains unaware of his ignorance. In the eyes of his people and himself, he is the paragon of virtue, a wise man, and the noble king. Oedipus's incomplete knowledge contributes to his hamartia, fueling arrogance and leading him to declare: "But I who consider myself the son of chance, / the giver of good, will never know dishonor" (1085-1086). Oedipus' "hubris [is] directed to the good of his polis" (Bull, 6) also gives him that irrational frankness that allows him to oppose the truth, mistakenly and ironically accusing Tiresias of being "the son of the infinite night," (379) “blind in [his] ears, in [his] reason, and in [his] eyes (376). Tiresias' accusations motivate Oedipus to seek the truth, and after "his intense questioning of three witnesses" (Roochnik, 11), the truth of the prophecy becomes clear. Oedipus is determined to know the truth and himself, even if it means his downfall. With the dawn of awareness, Oedipus sees his lack of vision and the irony of his condemnation: “And it is I/ Who have uttered these curses upon myself!” (824-825). Having firmly believed in his vision and rationality, Oedipus is now left with the devastating realization that the entire system of logic,]")