Question

Why is teiresias reluctant to tell oedipus his prophecy ?

Answer 1

because he knows Oedipus is the cause for all the trouble in Thebes.

Step-by-step explanation:

At the beginning of Oedipus King, there is a plague ravaging Thebes because the murderer of the former king has not been caught. Oedipus summons Tiresias, a blind prophet, for help. Tiresias knows the answers to all of Oedipus questions, but he refuses to speak them because he also knows that it is Oedipus himself who has caused the plague by unknowingly murdering his father and marrying his own mother.

Answer 2

Teiresias was described to be a cranky old fellow. Despite being blind, it was believed that he see things better than how other view them. During their first encounter, Oedipus was furious because Teiresias did not intend to tell the king about Laius' murderer.

On another occasion, Teiresias did not tell Oedipus about his knowledge that would be able to save Thebes because he believed that "everything that's going to happen will happen anyway"