Sophocles' Oedipus the King and Homer's Odyssey both deal on the topic of truth. In both works the character Tiresias, a blind prophet, participates in the different journeys by revealing various truths to the main characters. While the main importance of Tiresias in The Odyssey is to show that truth can be helpful, his importance in Oedipus the King is to attempt to discourage Oedipus on his journey to find the truth because he knows the truth can be negative as well.
The first thing that should be examined is the different ways that Tiresias reveals the truth in the two works. In The Odyssey, Tiresias is direct and to the point. He starts by stating that "A sweet smooth journey home ⦠is what you seek, but a god will make it hard for you." From what can be read, Tiresias feels no need 'sugarcoat' what he is telling for two simple reasons.
Cadmus Sowing the Dragon's teeth, by Maxfield Parr...
This image was first published in the 1 st (1876&n...
Deutsch: Theaterfotografie van Albert Greiner sr. ...First, he came willingly to Odysseus, sugarcoating the truth would be a waste of time. The second and more important reason is that he has good news for Odysseus, relative to what has happened so far. On the other hand, in Oedipus the King, Tiresias skirts around telling Oedipus the truth. In fact, he initially refused to tell Oedipus anything at all, seen in such lines as "You'll get nothing from me" and "I'll never reveal my dreadful secrets." The important thing is that when Oedipus got Tiresias angered, Tiresias bluntly stated that "[Oedipus is] the curse, the corruption of the land." When Oedipus responds to this, which will be discussed later, he continues to berate Tiresias for 'lying'. Following that, Sophocles uses Tiresias to foreshadow the rest of the play for the reader, while cryptically half-hiding and half-telling Oedipus the truth, which is essentially...