Character Sketch of Teiresias in Oedipus Rex

Teiresias is the blind prophet in the play, ‘Oedipus Rex’. He is introduced at the very beginning of the play. He is an honourable person of Thebes. He was invited by Oedipus to his palace because he wanted to know the reason of the sufferings of his people. He was sure that Teiresias will help him to solve the problem of the state.

When Teiresias declared that Oedipus was the murderer of King Laius, Oedipus became very angry. Oedipus blamed Teiresias that he must be blaming him because of Creon. When Teiresias heard these words, he became angry. Though he was a great person known for his wisdom, he lost his self-control and threatened the King Oedipus of serious consequences. Such threats of Teiresias surprise the readers. Teiresias played an important role as he announced the fate of King Oedipus. He knew everything, whereas Oedipus was completely ignorant about his fate. Thus, as a prophet, Teiresias plays an important role in making the audience know the real culprit in the tragedy of King Oedipus.

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