Some Close Readings About Ignorance and Feet

Oedipus lives a tragic life bound by prophecy. The notion of fate is symbolized through Oedipus’ scared feet – scars from having a stake driven through his feet as a baby. Oedipus is no longer literally bound, but he is still subject to confinement of fate. While the symbolic discussion of feet reveals that murder and incest are foregone conclusions, Sophocles ironically highlights Oedipus’ ignorance to make the play more tragic.

“Helping a priest to his feet” – stage direction halfway through line 9

· Sophocles depicts Oedipus as a man of power in order to persuade the audience to view Oedipus as a man removed from the problems of the time. This is not a completely false portrayal of Oedipus, for he certainly has power in the sense that he is a king, but there is overwhelming irony in the realization that Oedipus has no control over the outcome of his life.

“I would be blind to misery not to pity my people kneeling at my feet” – Oedipus, lines 14-15

· The audience should have been familiar enough with the story of Oedipus to catch ironic hints, and this specific line combines the motifs of feet and eyesight to create a complex display of tragic ignorance. Oedipus indirectly says he is not blind to misery, allowing the audience to wonder if perhaps he does not pity his people. More likely, this line could suggest he is not blind to misery despite his conscious assertions otherwise. Sophocles carefully crafts the language to allow for this interpretation and to allow for later development of Oedipus’ character. Oedipus is ignorant for believing he is blind to misery (his name is swollen foot and every step he takes brings pain, yet he seems to forget this until later) and this ignorance becomes Sophocles’ main tool in advancing the tragic nature of the play, for we are pained not only in learning of Oedipus’ misfortunes, but also in watching him ignorantly struggle to realize his fate.