Dialogue Between Oedipus And Teiresias

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The passage I chose is a dialogue from Oedipus the King, between Oedipus and Teiresias. The passage’s location is at the close of a long conversation in which Teiresias accused Oedipus of being Laisus’ killer, and takes place at the conclusion of episode one. In this passage, Teiresias repeats Oedipus’ prophecy and says that the man they are looking for will have lived a life in accordance with said prophecy. Oedipus does not take much stock in what Teiresias says and writes him off as a nuisance. While the passage I chose is predominantly a stichomythia style dialogue, it ends with a brief monologue from Teiresias. The primary point of the interaction in this passage is to illustrate the conflict between these two characters based on the information shared by one earlier in the conversation. Additionally, a meaningful element of stagecraft in the scene is that a boy…show more content…
The themes in this passage are fate and prophecy. The blind Teiresias is the prophecy of manteia and his one purpose is to be the human vessel for delivering the prophecy to Oedipus. He explains the fate of the killer, in which blindness appears once again. This should have been Oedipus’ anagnorisis, his recognition scene, however, his psychological denial prevented the realization. Realizing that Oedipus is struggling to accept the reality of the situation, Teiresias finishes his monologue with, “…if you find me mistaken, say I have no skill in prophecy” (OT, 461-462). The dramatic irony of the play allows the audience to realize that Oedipus will fulfill the prophecy. I chose this passage because it shows Oedipus’ weakness, the depth of his denial. Even the prophecy lays out his entire life story, he refuses to consider the legitimacy of the claim. Teiresias is almost mocking him for not piecing together the clues, especially since he is famous for solving the greatest enigmatic
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