Date 5. To what extent is teiresias Oedipus’s opposite? His double? What is the meaning of blindness in this drama? Also consider gender of teirasias and social status in relation to Oedipus.
Teiresias is a fellow who is telling future through his ability to see visions and prophecy. It turns out the he is always ignored and grumpy. On the other side, Oedipus just blinded himself after his mother committed suicide after knowing that she had married his son. But Oedipus is strong and commanding, being raised up by the king of Corinth and later turns out to be the king unlike teiresias. The meaning of blindness in the play is the inability of the characters to be able to use the future revealed to them in a right way. It is better they had not known the truth because it did not help them. The likes of Laius who had a knowledge that if he bore a son, he will die, but he did not use that knowledge wisely. The same applies to Oedipus who is not keen to know who his father is hence killing him. Teirasius is known to be a blind prophet who has extraordinary powers of divination while Oedipus has a social status as a king.6. The cross roads: what is the significance and symbolism? Why was Laius travelling? What is implied?
The cross road signify the inability to make decision. When you are held between more than one decision and you have to choose one. Oedipus killed his father who was travelling at a place where three roads met, hence signifying the making of a fateful decision at the cross roads. The three cross roads could be taken to symbolize the past, present and future of Oedipus. Through he had realized an important prophecy the he was to kill his father, trying to escape so that this does not happen, it chances that a junction of three roads, he meets the father and kills him unknowingly and goes on thereafter to marry his mother. All being awful decisions that he made. Bearing in mind also that Oedipus was three days old when his parents abandoned him. Laius was travelling to Delphi to consult the oracles because he had received omens that were indicating that his son was to come back and kill him.