![]() ![]() Kept her deathwatch here, / why silent then, not a word to set our people His assumption, for the blind prophet Tiresias could not save the city from theĬurse of the Sphinx as Oedipus had: "When the Sphinx, that chanting Fury The five senses, especially sight, represents Everyman's ability to grasp all Oedipus rejects the prophet's words, therefore, because they are beyondįor Oedipus, to be in control of all human faculties, to possess a command of He is blind, and thus cannot observe or reason. For Oedipus, Tiresias cannot account for the suffering of the peopleīecause he suffers a limitation that Oedipus does not. stone-blind, stone-deaf-senses, eyes blind as stone!" (422-23). Oedipus cannot grasp it and denounces the prophet: "You've lost your power, Tiresias repeats the truth, what the gods have permitted him to know, but Prophecy, patiently says that he has given Oedipus the answer he seeks, OedipusĪngrily responds "What? Say it again-I’ll understand it better" ( NortonĪnthology of World Masterpieces, vol. "understand" (hear), "say," and "touch." When Tiresias, who knows the cause but not the gods' purposes for the Scene is filled with words that relate to the physical senses: The sighted though "blind" Oedipus, who seeks the truth as to why his Sight becomes the most important of the five senses for Oedipus,Įspecially as it relates to reason, because, like most people, he bases truth onĪccident that Sophocles has the blind "seer" Tiresias in conflict with In the play, "blindness" stands for the limits of knowledge. Their first encounter, Oedipus and Tiresias accuse one another of blindness andĪrrogance, which is appropriate for an understanding of Oedipus's function as The "truth" of life, as Oedipus comes to learn, is beyond human Observation, we cannot assure happiness or alleviate pain from our lives. How diligent, no matter how we draw on past experiences or our powers of Reasons for suffering cannot be answered by "reason" alone: no matter Is that human wisdom, as represented by Oedipus, has limitations that must be Tiresias, on the other hand, stands for "truth." But truth is here depicted as fact, that which will occur it simply Representative of all people, who are often wise, but sometimes foolish. Oedipus represents an exalted "Everyman," a Why people undergo terrible pain in their lives. Matter how great its achievements, is severely limited in its understanding of The scene depicts Oedipus as a personification of humanity, which, no Idea in Sophocles' play Oedipus the King. The encounter between Oedipus and Tiresias demonstrates an important thematic "Everyman" and the Limits of Human Knowledge Title approximately 2" from the top of the page) Margins should be 1" on every page but the first, where you should place your Upper-right corner on each following page. Or left upper corner, and then put your last name and page number in the Place your name, class section, and date in either the right Spaces between paragraphs here for screen clarity, and the paper isĭouble-spaced throughout, without additional spaces between ![]()
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