Supporting characters in plays and other works of literature often play an important role, not only in advancing the storyline, but in revealing things about the other characters. Tiresias in Oedipus the King is no exception. Tiresias serves many roles in the play, among them, his place as a father figure and the “Wise old man” archetype that is seen in Greek Tragedies. He is an oracle and is one of the first to reveal the truth to Oedipus. Tiresias also acts as a foil to Oedipus, revealing characteristics about him that we would not see otherwise.
Tiresias plays a father-like figure in the play, and as such Oedipus shows hostility towards him, accusing him of being bribed by Creon, and denouncing his visions (Sophocles 38). Showing his animosity towards people in authoritative positions. The only reason for Oedipus accusing Creon of bribery is the fact that he urged for Oedipus to call for Tiresias. Tiresias’ paternal role, and Oedipus’ aggression towards him, and other characters who play a similar role, is an important theme in the play. Oedipus being raised by a Foster family, even though he does not know it, has created a deep seeded hostility towards authority and father figures. His hatred is so great that he kills his biological father by accident while traveling to Thebes, because he would not move aside.
Tiresias is a blind prophet who can see the future and the truth through divinations from the gods. Oedipus is a king who can see quite clearly, and yet he is blind to the truth about his own life. These two contrasts play an important role in enhancing the irony and the catharsis felt by the audience while watching the play. At the end of the play, Oedipus views his dead wife and mother Jocasta, and is so distraught by both her death and the enlightenment that he has undergone that he cannot take it anymore. He gouges out his eyes with broaches taken from Jocasta’s dress. His form of punishment for himself is an interesting one. Perhaps in blinding himself he sought to gain the wisdom and foresight that Tiresias has.
Tiresias serves as a foil to Oedipus in many ways; he reveals Oedipus’ hostility and jealousy towards people of authority. And Oedipus’ jealousy towards Tiresias serves as a reminder that Oedipus is not the king that he pretends to be. He is merely a child in an adult’s body. He has never grown up and cannot possibly hope to keep the title of king. Oedipus is jealous of Tiresias, perhaps since his arrival in Thebes. In his article on Oedipus the King, Simon O. Lesser provides this information, “Indeed, the taunt that Tiresias was unable to do what Oedipus could and did do, solve the riddle of the sphinx, suggests that Oedipus may have regarded the prophet as a rival from almost the time of his arrival in Thebes”(Lesser 148). According to Lesser Oedipus regards Tiresias as a threat and that is perhaps the source of his hostility towards this particular authoritative figure.
Not all of Tiresias’ actions in the play are beset with irony and serve to enhance the theme of the play, he also moves the story along. Tiresias serves as a catalyst for Oedipus’ search for the truth. First confronted by the drunken man who told him of his false lineage, Oedipus has a subconscious understanding that he killed his father Laius on the road to Thebes. Tiresias brings his old unresolved fears to the surface again when he is called upon to figure out the killer of Laius. He points Oedipus out as the killer of Laius when he says, “I tell you this: the man you’ve searched for all along with threats and fanfares for the murder of King Laius- that man, I say, is here” (Sophocles 41). Upon hearing this Oedipus sets out to figure out who the true killer of Laius was, not believing it was he who did it. During his search he learns things about himself that he would not have otherwise learned had Tiresias kept his peace and not told him the prophecy.
The role of supporting characters is indeed an important one. One that serves many purposes in any work of literature be it a play, a novel, or a short story. Supporting characters give insight into the characters personality, they move the story along, and they even make their own contributions to the theme or the plot of the story. Tiresias is perhaps one of the most important minor characters in the play. His blind insight and his ability to spur Oedipus into action play pivotal roles in furthering the readers’ ability to discern things that are not disclosed by the author, and their understanding of characters and plot events in the play.
