His physical loss of sight is penance for the lack of insight he had at the start of the play. He has exchanged physical sight for mental insight into the truth. 4. Rhetorically, Oedipus uses the diction of a king at the beginning of a play. He plays the role of one in power, and of a person in full control of and with confidence in himself. When his people approaches him with a problem, he therefore reacts with confidence that he can solve it. He is fearless and strong in his position, as shown in lines 10-15. He is so confident that he can take care of any problem that he promises to do so even before hearing what the trouble is. Indeed, he believes that the only thing that can possibly keep him from helping the supplicants with their problem would be the hardness of his heart. This assertion strongly contrasts with the words of extreme self-hatred and disgust he feels obliged to speak at the end, when he appears after having blinded himself, and also during the act of blinding itself. In lines 1515-1520 for example he uses adjectives such as "atrocious" and "dreadful" in order to describe what he suffered and did. He is no longer the capable, powerful king.

5. The most important element of style in the

Indeed, the very central themes of sight and blindness are used in order to achieve various effects of irony. The main irony is that Oedipus has remarkable insight into complicated matters and riddles that do not concern himself. This reinforces the idea that Oedipus's symbolic blindness is deliberate. Indeed, this is also reinforced by Jocasta, who wishes to keep Oedipus in the dark to prevent the devastation of knowledge. The final irony is that the truth brought about the ultimate devastation: Jocasta's death and Oedipus's blindness and banishment ruins the once prosperous family.
6. As mentioned above, the main themes are those of sight and blindness. The most important example is that of Oedipus. He is blind to the truth in the beginning, but is physically sighted. Ironically, he is also metaphorically sighted by his insight into riddles, but not in his own. When he finally does gain insight into his own situation, the effect of this is physical blindness.

Teresias also acts as a vehicle for the themes of sight and blindness. He is unburdened by physical sight, and therefore provides the insight that Oedipus warns. It is also ironic that Oedipus ignores Teresias advice to stop his search for the truth that would lead to his ultimate downfall. There is a wide contrast between Oedipus at the beginning of the novel and the fallen king at the end. At the beginning, Oedipus uses his insight to help the people of Thebes and is crowned as king. At the end of the play, the opposite happens. The truth that Oedipus relentlessly pursued leads to his downfall. He is shamed in front of his people and banished from the land forever.