A pronouncement of divine will, typically delivered by the god Apollo through the priestess at Delphi in ancient Greek culture. Oracles in tragedy are always accurate — but their accuracy is often only clear in retrospect. The oracle that condemns Oedipus is not a curse; it is a declaration of what will happen. The tragedy arises from the human attempt to evade what cannot be evaded.
« Back to Glossary DirectoryOracle
5 « Back to Glossary Index
previous post
