Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Tiresias: Totally Uncalled For

I would like to ask where this Tiresias guy came from, and who gave him the right to bash Oedipus? Oedipus, this glorious King, has saved the city of Thebes. He defeated the Sphinx and protected the city. There are so many things that he's done for them. Oedipus is grieving over the turmoil of his city and the plagues that are oppressing them. He is desperately trying to get down to the root of the problem. And when he finally figures out what's causing the plagues, he makes it clear that he will correct the wrong. But then comes along this blind prophet, Tiresias, who has the gumption to trash talk the King. He blames it all on Oedipus and accuses him of a wide array of hideous actions. And then he goes on to say that Oedipus killed Laius, his father, and proceeded to sleep with his mother!!! Where did that come from? Who is Tiresias and where did he get his credibility? When he claims to know who killed Laius is he bluffing? Does he really believe that Oedipus did it?

Then we have to ask, did Oedipus overreact in his belief that Creon is a traitor? Creon asked to die before he betrayed his brother in law! How could the king really think that Creon is against him?

P.S. I commented on Olivia's blog

1 comment:

  1. Tiresias is a blind prophet. He gets his credibilty from the same place that the prophet in The Iliad got his creds. Besides you can't call an old man into a room to ask him a question then yell at him because you didn't like his answer. The defeat of the Sphinx isn't that epic either, all that he did was answer one obvious riddle. It had already been prophesied before that Oedipus was going to kill his father and marry his mother so it's not like it was a big shocker. Laius and Jocasta already knew that it was going to happen that's why he was abandoned to start with.

    ReplyDelete