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Oedipus and Tyrannos - the fulfilment of prophecy (audio)

King Oedipus and Tiresias, the blind prophet, argue over the origins of the plague that is ravaging Thebes. Oedipus is initially angry that Tiresias will not tell him who is to blame and then incredulous at what the prophet reveals. He accuses Tiresias of plotting with Creon, ruler of Colonus, to depose him from power. The scene is filled with irony as Oedipus accuses Tiresias of blindness. In response Tiresias reiterates Oedipus' own blindness to fate and his own role in the fulfillment of the prohecy that he says he will murder his father and marry his mother. Tiresias' speech foreshadows the end of the play when Oedipus will finally uncover the truth about himself and choose to physically blind himself when he sees the truth.

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5 minutes

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