Compare and Contrast of the Odyssey and Oedipus

A detailed Summary of Compare and Contrast of the Odyssey and Oedipus

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 what you seek, but a god will make it hard for you." From what can be read, Tiresias feels no need 'sugarcoat' what he is telling for two simple reasons. First, he came willingly to Odysseus, sugarcoating the truth would be a waste of time. The second and more important reason is that he has good news for Odysseus, relative to what has happened so far. On the other hand, in Oedipus the King, Tiresias skirts around telling Oedipus the truth. In fact, he initially refused to tell Oedipus anything at all, seen in such lines as "You'll get not

The reaction to the information given by Tiresias is also important due to its difference. In Homer's work, Odysseus' reaction to the news is different than the joy that one might normally expect. Instead of a reaction of happiness or joy, Odysseus simply asks how he can communicate with his dead mother. But this in itself reveals something important. Essentially, Odysseus is now aware that he has more than a good chance of returning home soon, but still cannot be overjoyed because of stress that he has suffered so far. One could say that he is simply not near as worried as he was before, essentially he now has hope to arrive home to his wife and son because of Tiresias' revelation. Oedipus' reaction, on the other hand, is much different from that of Odysseus'. Simply put, the reaction to the truth that Tiresias reveals is utter disbelief and anger. Oedipus can not comprehend that he could be the plague, so he accuses Tiresias aligned with Creon in a part of a plot to overthrow him. The irony being that it is Oedipus the one searching for the truth, but when it is told, he is to close-minded to see it. Eventually Oedipus finds out the truth for himself and must realize that Tiresias was telling the truth, especially about being better of not knowing the truth of his heritage and actions. The significance of this comparison is that it also reveals the general reaction of society to truth. While Odysseus' reaction was not of the 'get up and do a happy dance' type, one can still see that he benefited from the truth, and therefore had to be at least somewhat thankful of what Tiresias told him. In the case of Oedipus, the truth proved to be harmful and therefore denied at first until it was confirmed

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Approximate Word count = 1150
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English