As the blind prophet, Teiresias' knowledge about Oedipus' real identity prompted him to allude only, and not directly identify, to Oedipus the identity of Laius' murderer: "Thou art the man / Thou the accursed polluter of this land... thou art the murderer of the man / Whose murderer thou pursuest." Sophocles' use of the words "polluter," "murderer," and "pursuest" reflects the role Oedipus plays, which includes being the murdered of Laius, 'usurpation' of the title of King of Thebes, and as the persecutor of Laius' killer (himself). Paradox is also present in the dialogue, particularly when Oedipus informed the Chorus and the prophet of his intentions to bring to justice Laius' death: "One course alone could rid us of the pest / to find the murderers of Laius / and slay them or expel them from the land." This passage is ironic in that Oedipus intended to punish...

The theme of Fate resounds in the play through Teiresias' reluctance to reveal to Oedipus the truth, especially his want to know and discover everything about himself and Liaus' death ("...what misery to be wise / When wisdom profits nothing... Poor fool to utter gibes at me which all / Here present will cast back on thee ere long." It was at this point in the play that figurative blindness and pursuit of truth clashed, and eventually resulted to Oedipus' downfall towards moral and literal blindness.
Works Cited

Roberts, E. And H. Jacobs. (1998). Literature: an introduction to reading and writing. (5th ed.). NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Sophocles. E-text of "Oedipus Rex." Translated by F. Storr. Available at: http://eserver.org/drama/sophocles/oedipus-trilogy.txt.