Who is the blind seer in 'Oedipus Rex'?

Answer 1

Teiresias is the blind seer in the play "Oedipus Rex."

The blind prophet is in the uncomfortable position of being one of possibly only two mortals who know the true identity and nature of Theban King Oedipus. Specifically, the people of Thebes see Oedipus as a much respected and loved role model personally and professionally. Teiresias and Theban Queen Jocasta's loyal servant alone know that Oedipus may be described as a mass murderer, a traitor, a sex offender and a blasphemer.

Although these offenses are committed unknowingly, Oedipus is indeed guilty of the following most serious of crimes against his fellow mortals and against the gods:

1. Mass murder: Oedipus not only kills an elderly stranger who strikes the first angry blow, but also all except one in the victim's escort.

2. Treachery: The stranger whom Oedipus kills is his sovereign, Theban King Laius.

3. Sex crime: Oedipus marries, and has children by, his own mother, Jocasta.

4. Blasphemy: The stranger whom Oedipus kills is his own father, Laius, and the woman with whom he becomes intimate is his own mother, Jocasta.

In ancient Greece, killing one's father and being incestuous with one's mother are viewed as tantamount to trying to be gods. For example, mother-son incest is allowed in order for Gaia to get divine and mortal lives started on Planet Earth. But neither this divine transgression nor parent/ancestor killing is to be carried out by any copycat mortal.