Final answer:
Oedipus suffers a self-inflicted injury of blindness as a result of his guilt upon discovering that he has fulfilled a tragic prophecy by killing his father and marrying his mother. This act symbolizes his transition from ignorance to knowledge and represents the tragic consequences of his hubris and actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The lifetime injury from which Oedipus suffers is the result of his own actions to blind himself after discovering the horrifying truth about his life. In Sophocles' tragedy, Oedipus, King of Thebes, upon learning that he has unwittingly killed his father and married his mother, fulfills the blind prophet Tiresias' prophecy by blinding himself. This act of self-mutilation is a physical manifestation of Oedipus' psychological torment and guilt. The injury serves as a symbol of his tragic enlightenment and the irreversible consequences of his hubris and attempts to evade fate.
Oedipus' self-imposed blindness is symbolic of his ignorance throughout the play, despite his efforts to seek the truth. It's an act of taking responsibility and punishment for his actions, which were predestined yet carried out through his choices. The injury signifies not only the cost of his arrogance and misplaced confidence but also his transition from ignorance to knowledge, albeit a devastating and irreversible one. Oedipus' story is a profound lesson on the limits of human understanding and the inevitable tragedy that can arise from human errors and the forces of destiny.