The blind prophet or seer. He knows that the terrible prophecy of Oedipus has already come true, but doesn't want to say what he knows. Only when Oedipus accuses him of treachery does Tiresias suggest that Oedipus himself is guilty of the murder of King Laius. He leaves Oedipus with a riddle that implies, plainly enough for the audience to understand, that Oedipus has killed his father and married his mother.
Tiresias Quotes in Oedipus Rex
The Oedipus Rex quotes below are all either spoken by Tiresias or refer to Tiresias. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 341-708
Quotes
Just send me home. You bear your burdens,
I'll bear mine. It's better that way,
please believe me.
I'll bear mine. It's better that way,
please believe me.
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Did you rise to the crisis? Not a word,
you and your birds, your gods—nothing.
No, but I came by, Oedipus the ignorant,
I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from the birds,
the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark.
you and your birds, your gods—nothing.
No, but I came by, Oedipus the ignorant,
I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from the birds,
the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark.
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No man will ever
be rooted from the earth as brutally as you.
be rooted from the earth as brutally as you.
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Blind who now has eyes, beggar who now is rich,
he will grope his way toward a foreign soil,
a stick tapping before him step by step.
he will grope his way toward a foreign soil,
a stick tapping before him step by step.
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Tiresias Quotes in Oedipus Rex
The Oedipus Rex quotes below are all either spoken by Tiresias or refer to Tiresias. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 341-708
Quotes
Just send me home. You bear your burdens,
I'll bear mine. It's better that way,
please believe me.
I'll bear mine. It's better that way,
please believe me.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Did you rise to the crisis? Not a word,
you and your birds, your gods—nothing.
No, but I came by, Oedipus the ignorant,
I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from the birds,
the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark.
you and your birds, your gods—nothing.
No, but I came by, Oedipus the ignorant,
I stopped the Sphinx! With no help from the birds,
the flight of my own intelligence hit the mark.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
No man will ever
be rooted from the earth as brutally as you.
be rooted from the earth as brutally as you.
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Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Blind who now has eyes, beggar who now is rich,
he will grope his way toward a foreign soil,
a stick tapping before him step by step.
he will grope his way toward a foreign soil,
a stick tapping before him step by step.
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Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
