Oedipus the King
Oedipus’s reaction leaves someone to wonder; how trustworthy is Teresias the prophet? The king’s first intention was to find the reasons behind the plague. After receiving information from Creon that the plague was caused by religious pollution, he changes his intention to hunt down the murderer. Perhaps finding the murderer proved a difficult task since there were no suspects. Without anybody’s influence, he seeks the intervention of Teresias who was a blind prophet. At first, he refuses to disclose the murder. Oedipus pressures the prophet accusing her of being part of the murder. It is worth noticing that the prophet’s silence left the king in doubts. However, Teresias decides to talk and it comes as shock to Oedipus. The prophet calls the king a murderer and leaves. Again, Oedipus disbelieves the prophet’s account and accused Creon of manipulating the prophet against him.
Honestly, the reason for Oedipus to seek the help of a prophet is not clear. By seeking his help, it shows that the King had trust in the prophet. Why then did he accuse Creon of manipulating the prophet? As a wise king, he should have taken time to analyze the prophet’s account. He should have asked himself why the prophet had refused to talk in the first instance. In addition, his quick reaction to declare murder on Creon without a second thought raises concern. His brother-in-law should have been given a fair trial. The king should have allowed Creon to defend himself. This inconsiderate action makes one think that the king had something to do with the former king’s murder. Also, confronting the prophet again would have been an option to clear things up. By killing Creon, the king could have been erasing the only existing evidence.