Tiresias: Blind Leader

Dearest Tiresias,

I write to inform you that your sardonic and indirect approach to reveal the horrible truths of Oedipus hath entertained me. Your resentment toward the guilty party gave way for an approach to the issue quite to my liking.

With love,

Lucas.

.....

Okay. I'm trying to put myself in Tiresias' position to see if he truly had no intentions of informing Oedipus of what he knew, or if he lead him on with reason. Reading back through the passage where Tiresias is first introduced, it seems as if he is putting himself in a spot that, regardless of original intention, would make it tempting to reveal what he knew...

Tiresias and Oedipus go back and forth between aggressive responses, which in turn leads to Tiresias indirectly opening up to some of the info. He may have been invulnerable against fear toward threats, but I wonder if he was still obligated to meet with Oedipus -- i.e. Since he was called upon behalf of Oedipus, that he would have to meet with him regardless of whether he would want to or not since he is the king, else face the reality of any threats made. That doesn't really matter though, since as Tiresias put it himself to Oedipus in lines 464 through 465, "You are the king no doubt, but in one respect, at least, I am your equal: the right to reply." Death or no death, he could have chose to withhold any and all information. But he still chose to reveal enough to pique Oedipus' curiosity, thus setting in motion the series of events that lead to his 'eye-popping' revelation. (Yeah, that pun was so lame... )

Tiresias lead Oedipus part of the way to his own self-destruction. Without him, as was noted early on in the play, everything would have remained rumour, and Oedipus would have continued blindly.

Yay for the blind leading the blind!... *sighs*... I'm really low on ingenuity right now. :P

P.S. I commented on Rebekah's blog, 'Tragedies and Denial.'