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Compare And Contrast Of The Od - School Essays

Compare And Contrast Of The Od

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 ...

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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 ignored. The fact that Tiresias had to be summoned, instead of coming on his own, and that Tiresias attempted to hide the truth from Oedipus, shows that Tiresias was trying to protect Oedipus. He knew it would cause Oedipus harm in the end. Tiresias� differing attitudes in the works serves as a parallel to how the truth told in general. Truth that brings hope to people is normally easily given, but truth that brings sadness or despair is generally told with ...

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Compare And Contrast Of The Od. (2005, November 26). Retrieved November 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Compare-And-Contrast-Of-The-Od/37080

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Added: 11/26/2005 05:56:12 PM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1156
Pages: 5

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