Final answer:
After Jocasta kills herself, Oedipus gouges out his own eyes and accepts responsibility for his actions, leading to his voluntary exile from Thebes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the tragic play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, after Oedipus discovers that Jocasta has killed herself, he experiences a profound moment of despair and self-realization. The knowledge of unwittingly fulfilling the horrific prophecy of marrying his mother and killing his father leads him to gouge out his own eyes. This act of self-blinding represents Oedipus's psychological transformation from ignorance to knowledge, from sight to blindness. It also signals his acceptance of responsibility for his actions, despite the fact that he could have blamed fate or the gods. His voluntary blindness and subsequent exile from Thebes serve as a symbolic punishment and atonement for his actions. The play concludes with Oedipus, now blind and defeated, leaving Thebes and ceding the throne to his brother-in-law.