Teiresias speaks of Oedipus’ blindness as what “drive[s him] forth from this land” on an “unlucky voyage” to unforgiving harbors. His focus on movement demonstrates that there is a spatially horizontal separation between the Theban king and his humanity. Furthermore, the use of “Cithaeron” as Oedipus’ final destination connects horizontal separation with death, thereby portraying it as lethal. This contrasts directly with how Teiresias is separated from humanity: he views his blindness as a necessary function of being a “slave” to the higher powers, and as a result, he accomplishes a vertical separation from the perceptible world in which he abandons sensory knowledge for that of the divine. With this comparison in mind, Oedipus’ lack of vertical insight by the end of the play suggests that, even after being forced to learn his true identity, he still lacks metaphysical understanding. This leaves him susceptible to being “steered” rather than being able to determine his own
Teiresias speaks of Oedipus’ blindness as what “drive[s him] forth from this land” on an “unlucky voyage” to unforgiving harbors. His focus on movement demonstrates that there is a spatially horizontal separation between the Theban king and his humanity. Furthermore, the use of “Cithaeron” as Oedipus’ final destination connects horizontal separation with death, thereby portraying it as lethal. This contrasts directly with how Teiresias is separated from humanity: he views his blindness as a necessary function of being a “slave” to the higher powers, and as a result, he accomplishes a vertical separation from the perceptible world in which he abandons sensory knowledge for that of the divine. With this comparison in mind, Oedipus’ lack of vertical insight by the end of the play suggests that, even after being forced to learn his true identity, he still lacks metaphysical understanding. This leaves him susceptible to being “steered” rather than being able to determine his own