Final answer:
Oedipus begins with a commanding and expectant attitude towards the prophet Tiresias, seeking his help to resolve a plague, but becomes indignant and accusatory when Tiresias advises him to cease his inquiry, illustrating Oedipus's prideful and confrontational traits.
Step-by-step explanation:
Describe Oedipus’s attitude when initially speaking to the prophet: Oedipus, the King of Thebes, displays a complex range of emotions when dealing with the blind prophet Tiresias. In the pursuit of the truth and the resolution to the plague afflicting his city, Oedipus's initial demeanor toward Tiresias is commanding and expectant, as he demands insights from the respected seer. Upon Tiresias's reluctance and warning for Oedipus to abandon his quest, Oedipus's attitude shifts to one of indignation and accusation, driven by desperation to save Thebes and its people.
Accusing the prophet of complicity in the murder of Laius, Oedipus's frustration and rage at what he perceives as obfuscation escalate to verbal combats, illustrating his prideful and confrontational nature, characteristics integral to his tragic downfall. Furthermore, this encounter propels the narrative forward, as it reveals the irony and foreshadowing in Tiresias's words, and accentuates the tragic hero’s flaw of hubris, which profoundly influences the outcome of Sophocles's narrative and fulfills the tragic destiny that the protagonist seeks to avoid.