Who is Tiresias and why is he blind?

Who is Tiresias and why is he blind?

When Tiresias replied that man gives more pleasure than he receives, Hera struck him blind. To make up for this deed, Zeus gave Tiresias the ability to foresee the future and allowed him to live an extraordinarily long life. One of Tiresias ‘s gifts was that his spirit could still utter prophecies in the underworld.

Why is Tiresias blind?

Reportedly, he had been turned into a woman as the result of having struck and wounded mating snakes. When they consulted Tiresias, he asserted that women had greater pleasure than men, and Hera thereupon struck him blind.

Who is blind between Tiresias and Oedipus?

Tiresias is blind but can see the truth; Oedipus has his sight but cannot. Oedipus claims that he longs to know the truth; Tiresias says that seeing the truth only brings one pain. In addition to this unspoken irony, the conversation between Tiresias and Oedipus is filled with references to sight and eyes.

Why does Oedipus fight Tiresias?

Oedipus insults Tiresias, but the prophet still refuses to speak. The blind seer sees the truth, but tries to protect Oedipus by remaining silent. This puts him into conflict with Oedipus, who is merely trying to be a good leader and save his city. Now angry, Oedipus accuses Tiresias of plotting to kill Laius.

Why is Tiresias blind in Oedipus?

When Oedipus finally realizes that the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother had came true, he was over come with shame. He goes to Jocasta’s quarters, where she had taken her own life, and gouged out his eyes with the broach that she wore.

How did Tiresias become blind?

Who is blind between Oedipus and Tiresias?

Tiresias is blind but can see the truth; Oedipus has his sight but cannot. Oedipus claims that he longs to know the truth; Tiresias says that seeing the truth only brings one pain.

What feature does Tiresias the blind prophet tell Odysseus to sail for on his voyage?

In the Odyssey, Teiresias warns Odysseus not to harm any of Helios’s cattle on the island of Thrinacia or it will spell destruction for his entire crew. If anyone harms Helios’s cattle, Odysseus will be forced to return to Ithaca on someone else’s ship.

How does Teiresias became blind?

Tiresias was a blind prophet. However, he was not born blind . This came to be when he stumbled upon the goddess Athene while she was bathing in a lake. He found himself unable to turn away from her nakedness and was blinded by her as punishment.

What did the blind prophet Teiresias tell Odysseus?

In The Odyssey Odysseus is warned by the blind prophet Tiresias that all of the sacred cattle of the Sun God Helios should be left alone . Tiresias says that the cattle should be avoided at whatever cost, and that if they are not, the men will all meet their doom.

What does Teiresias tell Odysseus?

The dead prophet Teiresias tells Odysseus that he must sail to the Thrinacian island and do certain things before he can return home. After Odysseus and his men sail from the island of the Cyclopes in Book X, some of the shipmates of Odysseus believe that Aeolus has secretly given Odysseus a fortune in gold and silver, and they tear open the bag.

What did Tiresias do in the Odyssey?

Tiresias is a blind prophet who helps Odysseus see what danger awaits him on his way home. There are many reasons given for why Tiresias is blind and keeps his powers in Hades after death. As Odysseus reaches the Underworld he slits a sheep’s throat and lets the blood poor from it into a large pit.