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Teiresias Role In Oedipus The King

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Beyond Fate and Free will, Teiresias’ role in Oedipus Rex
In ancient greek dramas, an oracle or a prophet has a role as an interpreter of the spiritual force’s whisper, usually related to the future acts or fate of the main character. In the trilogy of Theban Plays Teiresias’ previsions told the rulers about their inevitable fate such as Theresias Prevision about how the king Laios will be killed by his own son [page 6l, left colummn, line 41] and the fate of Oedipus whom will kill his father and marry his own mother, although both Laios and Oedipus had do their best to prevent the prophecy become reality and keep their fate on their control, but in the end the efforts ironically led the character to fulfill the prophecy. In the Oedipus Rex …show more content…

Perhaps this was intended to show his another role in this drama, to show the real nature of Oedipus it self. Despite only appeared in one scene of the drama, his conversation with Oedipus in the scene I has a great impact to Oedipus as he does to the main plot. in the play, Oedipus was provoked by Teiresias tenacity of not speaking the truth and then blindly accused him as a mad man and blame him for his fate as Oedipus assumed the prevision as a curse spelled by Teiresias [page 56, right column, line 41]. Teiresias hinted that Oedipus himself as the cause of the pledge by mentioning Oedpus’ parents [page 57, left column, line 37 & right coulmn, line 16]. That is showing that Oedipus was indefendanble and ignorant about his own fate. Because Teiresias didn’t satisfy his curiousity, Oedipus kept seeking the murderer and neglected several hints that he is the person that he himself tried to punish, although he also scared that Teireias’ prophecy on him was right therefore Indirectly, Teiresias intended to let Oedipus to seek the truth on his won rather than to harm Oedipus pride as a king by gave him the truth at that time. Once again Teiresias gave Oedipus his prevision [page 57, right column, line 37] and to be later proven to be true [page 67, right column, line 55] as a hint that no body can escape from his own

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