his attention is turned to finding the murderer of Laius, Oedipus makes a vow that surpasses irony: "I say I take the sons part, just as though / I were his son" (I. 48-49). He is saying that he will avenge Laius as he would his own father. Irony exists on two levels here. On one level, he will press on as diligently as a son would, inevitably incriminating himself in this situation. On another, more obvious level, he is, in fact, the son whose part he his figuratively assuming.Irony is beautifully expressed in the first scene, depicting the clairvoyant Tiresias hurling damning prophecies at the king, the following quotation in particular: "I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind" (195). The irony comes from the fact that, despite being physically blind, Tiresias sees the truth and the harm it will do to Oedipus when it is revealed. Oedipus, on the other hand, cannot conceive of any reason why the truth would hurt him. This confrontation between the figuratively and literally blind proves to be a clever example of peripety as well as irony. Oedipus goes from having physical sight but being ignorant and blind to reality to being physically blind but quite knowledgeable about his situation.The coming of Oedipus literal blindness is divined by Tiresias, foreshadowing the kings reaction to the truth he seeks so passionately. Tiresias says, when provoked, that "the double lash of your parents curse will whip you / Out of this land some day, with only night / Upon your precious eyes" (I.203-205). This depicts Oedipus blinding himself and exiling himself from Thebes. The journey he goes on leaves the play with an indeterminate ending; the audience does not know where Oedipus goes afterward. By not incorporating the details of his excursion the author elucidates Oedipus depravity and hopelessness.Night, representing Oedipus blindness, foreshadows the nature of Oedipus discovery. The Chorus is the first to make this symbolic reference: "...
