Imagery is a literary convention that refers to the usage of the five senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste) that essentially creates a mental picture. In Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, the imagery of light and darkness was used in the characterizations of Teiresias – the old blind prophet and the blinded Oedipus. Teiresias is the imagery of light while Oedipus is the imagery of darkness. The imagery of light in Teiresias character is perceived to be the absolute truth. Teiresias envisaged the fate of Oedipus. The old prophet was described by the chorus leader as: “…our god-like prophet, in whom the truth resides more so than in all other men”.
On the hand, Oedipus is the imagery of darkness due to his morally wrong actions that led to his downfall. Such actions – the killing of his own father, Laius and the marrying of his own mother, Jocasta is viewed as acts of darkness in which are not acceptable to the norms of the society as well as the laws of nature and God. In reality, darkness is always believed to be associated with evil. These actions of Oedipus are evil, thus, it proves to be the imagery of darkness. However, it is dreadfully important to recognize that Oedipus does not know anything not after Teiresias enlighten him.
Imagery was related in Oedipus’ blindness when it is directly linked to his inability to be familiar with his own fate before it truly and fully materialized. As stated, the imagery of light is seen on the absolute truth that Teiresias foretold. Darkness, on the contrary is manifested when Oedipus did not recognize the stipulation of Teiresias. Also, his denial to accept the truth is considered as an imagery of darkness. With Oedipus’ blindness – both literally and figuratively speaking, he resists to accept the fact (the light) and be enlighten and chooses to blind (the darkness) himself and stay in obscurity as a desperate move of running away from his ill-fated destiny.
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