Oedipus and Us

Fate brings forth many meanings. Personally I would never want to learn my fate before it happens. If someone offered to hand me a piece of paper that told me exactly what would happen to my life in a few years or so, I would happily push them aside. Like all Greek tragedy, the audience watching Oedipus be performed would have already known the story behind the demise of the great hero Oedipus. It was definitely an interesting way to learn about his struggle to find himself or to understand larger themes such as identity or vision. Through the use of characters such as Tiresias as well as Jocasta, Sophocles was able to display not only Oedipus' inability to see the true meaning of his life but also to be blinded by his own greed. Tiresias was a powerful symbol, acting somewhat as a foil to Oedipus. He was blind yet he could still understand the wrongdoings in the world as well as attempt to reason with Oedipus, explaining why he needed to "open his eyes." The cover of the play version we had was intent on displaying Oedipus with eyes as the least of all his features. As a person, he was boastful and loved by those who like him were blind to his immoral actions. And when the time came to where he learned of his mistakes, they turned on him without remorse. Sophocles used the motif of eyes throughout the play to ultimately symbolize the importance of vision of society and ourselves. Blinded by greed and impatience, Oedipus was labeled as the typical flawed hero, making a statement and then in time losing his throne. What makes us human is our eyes, our ability to see our world and understand our mistakes.