How the Character of Tiresias Functions Dramatically in ‘Oedipus the King’
Sophocles' Oedipus Rex presented many characters whose individual roles complement each other, forming a good creative piece. A look at their contributions from a dramatic perspective narrows down these complements as few have achieved a lot in terms of drama. Tiresias, the blind prophet is tasked with speaking of fate and the gods. However, he also contributes to the play's dramatic aspects as this paper demonstrates.
Tiresias confronts the king about his sins and curses
The first contribution that Tiresias makes to the play Oedipus the King is characteristic anger against the very King he is supposed to serve humbly. The people of Thebes have been overtaken by misfortune
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Such accusations inflate the anger that Oedipus has leading to his boastful commentary about being more intelligent than Tiresias and how his actions saved the city from the Sphinx. Such sudden and inconsiderate behavior from the King renders blind Tiresias reckless and he divulges the fact that Oedipus is cursed by both his parents and that is why Thebes is suffering (Sophocles, et al. 215). Therefore, Tiresias' first contribution to the dramatic aspects of the play is his confrontation with the King about his sins and curses and how they are affecting …show more content…
Tiresias has an inflated sense of self-importance that not only optimizes his role in dramatic effect within the play, but also influences his interactions with other characters such as the King. While King Oedipus himself is arrogant and ignorant towards the consequences of his life on the people, the reactions of the prophet when he unloads on him for being indirect in his work demonstrate arrogance. One would expect that even while the King is arrogant and rude, his subjects demonstrate some degree of restraint in their reactions. Therefore, Tiresias should not have reacted the way he did to the rude King.
Additionally, the manner in which Tiresias responds to the King’s rudeness demonstrates a lack of humility. The blind man admonishes the ignorant King pointing out how his parents’ curses and his past sins are the reason Thebes is sinking. His approach to such reproach is so vindictive that all respect that a King’s subjects should demonstrate to such a leader is lost. These actions constitute a good demonstration of yet another contribution by the prophet to the play’s dramatic
King Oedipus is introduced in Oedipus Rex as the charming, courageous, and all powerful king of Thebes. In the opening sequence of the play, Oedipus is approached by his citizens, led by a priest, who asks him to find the source of the plague which is devastating their city. He praises Oedipus as "King of the land, our greatest power,"[ln. 15] and then goes on to describe the dire situation the townspeople find themselves in, which includes stillborn babies and pestilence. Sophocles uses this conversation between Oedipus and the priest to establish Oedipus' grandeur, as can be seen in by the Priest's plea to Oedipus:
In the beginning of the text, an explanation is presented of how Thebes must “drive out a killer” in order to purge the city of the plague (99). Oedipus sets on a quest that includes Tiresias’s baffling words. Tiresias confronts Oedipus with [Oedipus’s] truth by revealing he is the murderer of Laius and “pollutes the land” (352). Oedipus is also bound by Apollo’s prophecy; his [Oedipus] fate is sealed (377). Oedipus displays his denial by refusing that he is the murderer and placing the blame on Creon.
Oedipus the King, also known as Oedipus Rex was a tragic play written by Sophocles around 429 BC. The story of Oedipus is one of blindness, growth, deception, and fate, and Sophocles gives the reader several shocks throughout the play. The play begins with the citizens of Thebes begging their ruler, Oedipus to lift the plague that is causing their city to come to ruins. His brother-in-law Creon returns with news from the Oracle at Delphi stating that they must find the murderer of the previous king of Thebes, Laius. Oedipus quickly sets out to attempt to solve this mystery. Oedipus then calls upon the blind seer Tiresias to tell him who killed Laius. Upon finding out that Tiresias has told Oedipus that he is the murderer, he sends Tiresias away. While leaving, Tiresias explains the marriage between a
Many times humans do things that contradict another thing they do. An example of this is one thing may be good but also bad at the same time. A person who has done this more then once is Oedipus in the writer Sophocles plays. Sophocles uses imagery like light verses darkness, knowledge verses ignorance and sight verses blindness.
Therefore, his anger is what is causing him to be ignorant. As a result, he is unable to see farther than his own perspective and affects his own city by still letting the plague continue. This reveals his negative aspects as a leader which provides that Oedipus is not a purely good leader. Not only does Tiresias try and present the truth to Oedipus but he also tries to prevent the truth from being told to him for his own good.
This shows his compassion and determination for the city, and that the people of Thebes believe in him to save the city. As the story moves on, his short temper is revealed. Tiresias won’t tell him the truth so Oedipus taunts in for being blind showing Oedipus true colors. Oedipus believes that Tiresias knows more than he is saying; Oedipus is using him as a witness to the murder and looking for clues to solve the crime. “For the love of god, don’t turn away, not if you know something.
Sophocles’ use of symbolism and irony is shown in Oedipus Tyrannus through his use of the notion of seeing and blindness. This common motif is extended throughout the play and takes on a great significance in the development of the plot. In an effort to escape his god given prophecy, Oedipus tragically falls into the depths of unthinkable crimes as a result of the mental blindness of his character; thus never escaping his lot.
Anger is expressed through a variety of reasons. Vague with many divisions and levels, it comprises of different types. Anger is a powerful emotion that reveals the state of a person. Often, this emotion is uncontrollable because it is used to recompense for what has been lost and creates positive and negative effects. Particularly, it is evident when expectations and goals are unfulfilled or do not meet reality. In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King and Shusaku Endo’s Silence, the protagonists experience anger for reasons that differ. Sebastian Rodrigues's non-acceptance towards others for their lack of moral values and dignity together with Oedipus's hubris and indignation bring a similar result of emotional change.
In Oedipus the King, Sophocles suggests that the impact of seeing the truth is harmful rather than enlightening. Whenever Oedipus strives to discover more to strengthen Thebes’ perspective of him, it leads him closer to his fate as determined by prophesy. Tiresias stands as a model in the play for the individual who is able to see the meaning beyond plot of events although his is blind, and Oedipus represents the oblivious arrogant individual who is never content because they need to be the unsurpassed individual. In the play, Sophocles illustrates the downside of a personality like Oedipus who desires to see the truth by ending the play with the brutality of gouging out his own eyes. Ultimately, the play reinforces that seeing the truth is harmful and being content with what you have, without greedily striving for more, can help avoid fate and a related deposition.
Education has solved many social problems and it has also helped develop societies. From this, we can say that education reflects the society, and it is one of the matters of concern in many countries. In South Korea, all of the students take education very seriously, and the schools are also very strict; While American education system gives students a lot of freedom. It is no wonder that there is no country that shares their education system with other countries because they have their own culture and customs. These days many students from foreign countries are coming to the United States as an exchange student to share their culture and study. I also came from South Korea as international students in an American college. I found that the American education system and the South Korean education system have many differences. However, since I have been studying in America for a couple of years, I think that is the American educational system would adapt certain aspects of the South Korean educational system, American students could benefit greatly. From this experience I have discovered that, the primary difference between the Korean education and American education; school educational system, parents’ passion for their children’s education, and student’s daily schedule.
Tiresias, from “Oedipus the King” by the Ancient Greek playwright Sophocles, is a blind prophet and whilst he is only on the stage for a little time he plays a major role by what he does and what he represents. Tiresias enters the play after being summoned by Oedipus to tell him of the murderer of Laius, the recent King. Tiresias for the sake of Oedipus does not tell him the truth at the start saying that “what will come will come. Even if I shroud it all in silence”. In is conversation, Sophocles, uses Tiresias as a turning point in the plot as it is the beginning of Oedipus’ downfall. As well as that Sophocles uses Tiresias to represent many of the key ideas in the play. Tiresias represents the idea of fate and how
In the epic, Oedipus serves as the king of Thebes, who is told by many of a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Also, he will have children who will also be his siblings. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus exemplifies his anger, hubris and status in very specific ways. When Oedipus sends for Tiresias the blind prophet to inform him of what he knows about the murder. Oedipus becomes angry that Tiresias will not tell hi. He goes as far as to blame Tiresias as the cause of the murder. Oedipus suffers from hubris because he feels that he once saved Thebes from Plague before and he can anything now. When Creon comes back from the oracle, he denounces him as a traitor. He continues to show hubris by denying his fate after numerous
They also critique characters’ actions and also add detail on the themes such as fate, confronting the past, and the dangers of brashness. “Oedipus” is considered to be the perfect example of a tragedy according to Aristotle’s poetics. The chorus is the population of elder men in Thebes, following the traditional route of Greek tragedy. “Oedipus” begins with the chorus explaining the plague occurring in Thebes in great detail, making the audience realize what a tough and challenging situation Oedipus is in as king. The chorus is constantly contributing to the action of the play, conversing with and giving Oedipus advice. Throughout the story, they often tell Oedipus to keep calm and to be more rational, a result of one of his tragic flaws. The elder men of Thebes directly effect the characters as well, preventing Oedipus from banishing or executing his brother-in-law Creon. Mainly the chorus seems to be supportive and loyal of their king, although his rash behavior does make them question him towards the middle of the story. By the end, the chorus is supportive of Oedipus once more. To prove their devotion, the chorus said, “But whether a mere man can know the truth, whether a seer can fathom more than I— there is no test, no certain proof though matching skill for skill a man can outstrip a rival. No, not till I see these charges proved will I side with his accusers.... Never will I convict my king, never in my heart.” (Chorus, 563-568) This quote demonstrates how well liked Oedipus is to the people of Thebes and how highly they think of him. It shows that his character and previous actions make it hard to believe he would ever commit the atrocities he is accused of. Also, like in many classic Greek tragedies, Sophocles incorporates strophes and antistrophes to split his choral
Oedipus and Tiresias, characters of Sophocles' play "Oedipus Tyrannus," are propelled to their individual destinies by their peculiar relationships with truth. Paranoid and quick to anger Oedipus, is markedly different from the confident and self-assured Tiresias. In the dialogue between the two men, Oedipus rapidly progresses from praise of Tiresias as a champion and protector of Thebes in line 304, to blatantly accusing the blind prophet of betraying the city in line 331, to angrily insulting him in line 334. Rather than be intimidated by the protagonist's title and temperament, Tiresias draws strength from what he knows is true and is able to stand his ground.
In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the minor character of Tiresias is responsible for foreshadowing Oedipus’ fate, developing the theme of blindness, and also illustrating dramatic irony. Tiresias is responsible for further developing the theme of blindness, by using his own physical blindness to reveal to Oedipus his mental blindness. Lastly, Tiresias is ultimately responsible for imposing dramatic irony because of his great knowledge of the truth of Oedipus. As a fortune teller, Tiresias is able to see the fate and destruction of Oedipus’ life. Tiresias uses his great ability to reveal to the reader the downfalls in Oedipus’ life that will soon occur because of his quest to know his fate. The character of Tiresias demonstrates the use of foreshadowing in order for the reader to be aware of Oedipus’ fate.