racles at Delphi to try to find out what had to be done to rid Thebes of the plague. He was accused by Oedipus of trying to overthrow him when he declared Oedipus the killer of Laius. Creon is usually calm and quiet. When he and Oedipus had the heated argument over who killed Laius, Creon calmly reasoned with him, saying he was quite comfortable where he was, influencing the rule while being relieved of all the responsibilities of kingship. Creon was very kind and forgiving toward Oedipus after he suffered the emotional shock of Jocasta’s death and the physical shock of his self-inflicted blindness. He listened to Oedipus’ requests for the care of his daughters and eventually the final one of exiling him from Thebes.Teiresias is the blind prophet who denounces Oedipus as the killer of Laius. His qualities are characteristic of all prophets: he has a potent knowledge of the future, thanks to Apollo and his oracles, and denounces others in an almost indifferent attitude. He simply says Oedipus himself is the killer and then unemotionally listens to Oedipus’ raging accusations of plotting against him and his throne. He prophesies that Oedipus will be turned blind, carry a stick around with him, and be cast off from the land a beggar, which, of course, turned out to be true.The Greeks loved irony. They were especially fond of dramatic irony, which is the kind of irony where the audience knows more than the characters do. The audience came into the theater knowing the play, due to the myths and legends that circulated throughout their culture. Still, this did not detract from enjoying the play, since the audience would often find themselves at the edge of their stone benches. The first hint of irony was given when Creon returned from his mission to see the oracles at Delphi, apparently bringing good news to Thebes: in order to get rid of the plague all they had to do was find the killer of Laius and banish him from the land...
