“I See” Said the Blind Man; “I Know” Said Oedipus: An Analysis of Physical and Metaphysical Sight through Greek Tragedy and Philosophy

Sight in the ancient world is best understood through Greek tragedy and philosophy. There is a certain duality of sight that is present in tragedy – physical and metaphysical. Physical sight is represented through “vision” and “sight” itself. Metaphysical sight is represented through “knowing” and “understanding”. Physical and metaphysical sight do not necessarily need each other, but the combination of the two results in higher wisdom, something that is sought by one of the most prominent figures in Greek tragedy, Oedipus. In fact, Oedipus Tyrannus, Heracles, and Prometheus Bound best exemplify the duality of sight in tragedy. The seers in Greek tragedy also provide a means for the audience to visibly see a connection of the duality