Oedipus the King | Imagery and sybolism

Oedipus the office Imagery and sybolismSophocles use of light source and darkness in Oedipus the King acts as an aid in the face schooling. The associated imagery and symbolism in the launch to work manifests Sophocles ideas to the reader which gets them involved in reading and understanding the play.Throughout time, the heading of light in any situation has always been construed as the nominal head of k at presentledge, good spirits, parity holiness. For darkness the converse is true. Not only is it lesson of holiness, but in like manner, the presence of light shows that we should be able to see far, identical to how much we know of several(prenominal)thing. After all, it is hard to fathom a valet de chambre who can see in the dark.In Oedipus Rex, sight and blindness atomic number 18 also used as allusions to light and darkness, albeit not with exactly the alike(p) meanings. A blind person is in the dark about what is sacking on around him, with no knowledge abou t his setting, and is handicapped eon making choices. A sight person is well aware of his setting, and should be able to make decisions while being able to see the repercussions.It is also hard to draw a line to where the distinguishable interpretations stop. It can be used in the same work to show any of the different meanings interchangeably. This makes it such a useful tool for an author to draw precaution to specific character traits and development, without becoming likewise technical in writing. By combining all of these ideas, playwright is able to portray a deeper meaning than could possibly be explicitly written. Also, the author is able to express a complex idea with a single word ie light representing knowledge and truth.Oedipus Rex is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles, who was a celebrated ancient Greek poet. The play is together with Antigone and Oedipus at Colonus stir up of what is called the Theban plays, all set in Thebes and concerned with the town of Theb es before, during and after(prenominal) Oedipus reign as Theban king (Sophocles Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).A tragical hero must fulfill four criteria nobility, harmatia (i.e a blemish), peripetia (i.e. turn around of fortune) and anagnorisis (i.e. discovery that peripetia was caused by the heros own actions). (What is a Tragic scrapper? Yahoo Answers, 2013) The basic plot of a tragedy is the revolt of a character to become a leader of men, the fall of the character imputable to a character flaw and the realisation of the character flaw that destroys him.In Oedipus the King, the priest describes Thebes as the City of Light. Thebes normally is supposed to be a prosperous town all that it touches is supposed to turn to gold. There is rejoice and happiness around every corner. In such conditions, Oedipus could waltz in and no one would bat an eyelid. However, the same priest describes how the plague has interpreted over the urban center by saying And deadly pestilence, t hat fiery god, swoops master to blast the city, emptying the House of Cadmus, filling it with blackness like inferno1. This indicates a total contrast to how its supposed to be. The once prosperous city is now under the curse of the sphinx. With the darkness comes disease, uncertainty and emptiness and with it the use up for a hero. The stage is now set for Oedipus entry. A need has been created for a leader of men. The use of the imagery of darkness has paved the way for Oedipus to rise above all other men.Another example of successful character development using light/darkness imagery is when Oedipus promises to Creon, the agglomerateenger, that I lead shed light on this darkness2. Creon had ripe told Oedipus that the curse on their land would be lifted when Lauis killer is banished or killed.3Oedipus implies that he would analyse Lauis murder and ensure that justice is served. The magnitude of this quote is in its development of the tragic hero that is Oedipus. He is just trying to avenge his predecessors shoemakers last but is inadvertently plotting his own downfall. This is part of the flaw in Oedipus character. Oedipus flaw is that cannot see what is beneath the surface. The fact that he wants to clear up the mess and lift the curse is commendable, but in doing so, Oedipus will implicate himself and induce the reversal of fortune.Throughout the play, a recurring theme is the blindness of some and full sight of others, yet it is those who are allegedly blind who are enlightened. Take Tereisias for example, who was the blind prophet of Thebes. Only he is able to put two and two together and see the bigger picture. Tereisias acts as the opponent in the play, providing a balanced counter view in the drama, tolerant Oedipus a chance to realise his flaws.For example, a reader of Oedipus cannot miss the banter in a blind man telling a sighted one that he is committing a grave crime by sleeping with his legitimate wife and that he would one day also be blind and need a guide to move along just like him4. Tereisias also assures Oedipus that he cannot tell who hes sharing a theater with.5Oedipus cannot fathom how this could possibly happen, and resorts to calling Tereisias a traitor and stupid. Tereisias replies to Oedipus, also in an outburst of anger, that Those clear-seeing eyes will be blinded. Oedipus was unable to see that he would have to gouge his own eyes because it was he who had brought the curse onto the land. The interlocking effect is that now we have a protagonist who is also arrogant, overly proud, and unable to perceive the path fate is leading him along.Oedipus character is now that of a tragic hero in waiting, and it is just a bet of time before he discovers his ancestry, and with it the terrible sins he has committed. Oedipus comes to the realisation that he is the cursed polluter of the land, husband of his mother and father of his brothers