Creon asks Oedipus to be rational, but Oedipus says that he wants Creon murdered. As in Antigone, the entrance of Tiresias signals a crucial turning point in the plot. But in Oedipus the King, Tiresias also serves an additional role—his blindness augments the dramatic irony that governs the play. Tiresias is blind but can see the truth; Oedipus has his sight but cannot.
Oedipus claims that he longs to know the truth; Tiresias says that seeing the truth only brings one pain. In addition to this unspoken irony, the conversation between Tiresias and Oedipus is filled with references to sight and eyes. As Oedipus grows angrier, he taunts Tiresias for his blindness, confusing physical sight and insight, or knowledge.
Tiresias matches Oedipus insult for insult, mocking Oedipus for his eyesight and for the brilliance that once allowed him to solve the riddle of the Sphinx—neither quality is now helping Oedipus to see the truth. When Tiresias arrives at line , Oedipus praises him as an all-powerful seer who has shielded Thebes from many a plague.
Oedipus sizes up a situation, makes a judgment, and acts—all in an instant. While this confident expedience was laudable in the first section, it is exaggerated to a point of near absurdity in the second. Oedipus asks Tiresias and Creon a great many questions—questions are his typical mode of address and frequently a sign of his quick and intelligent mind—but they are merely rhetorical, for they accuse and presume rather than seek answers.
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Oedipus asks Tiresias , the prophet, to help Thebes end the plague by guiding him to the murderers of King Laius. But Tiresias does not want to tell Oedipus what he knows. He asks to be sent home and says he will not tell his secret. Oedipus insults Tiresias, but the prophet still refuses to speak. The blind seer sees the truth, but tries to protect Oedipus by remaining silent. This puts him into conflict with Oedipus, who is merely trying to be a good leader and save his city.
Active Themes. Fate vs. Free Will. Related Quotes with Explanations. Now angry, Oedipus accuses Tiresias of plotting to kill Laius. This upsets Tiresias, who tells Oedipus that Oedipus himself is the cause of the plague—Oedipus is the murderer of Laius. As the insults fly back and forth, Tiresias hints that Oedipus is guilty of further outrages.
Indeed it's the first real scene where we see any conflict, and as such, is necessary for keeping the audience interested in the play.
In this scene, Oedipus gets angry at Teiresias because the prophet won't reveal the identity of Laius' murderer. It's clever of Sophocles to use this scene to show Oedipus' temper. Up until now the king has behaved rationally. He allows the Chorus to speak their mind and is doing his best to save his people.
If we didn't see his anger here and later with Creon, we might not believe that Oedipus is capable of the multiple murders at the crossroads. Probably the most interesting thing about this interchange is Teiresias' attitude towards the art of prophecy. Oedipus has good reason to be angry at him.
King Oedipus has in front of him a man with the knowledge needed to save Thebes, but Teiresias won't reveal the necessary information. Instead he tells Oedipus that there's no point in revealing the truth, because everything that's going to happen is just going to happen anyway:. Teiresias' ironic attitude toward revealing prophecy makes him symbolic of the whole conundrum of the play. Is Oedipus responsible for his actions?
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