Final answer:
Tiresias was punished with blindness for seeing Athena bathe according to Greek mythology, which paradoxically granted him prophetic abilities and a different type of vision and insight into truths that others could not see. Option A is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tiresias' Punishment in Greek Mythology
According to the stories in Greek mythology, particularly the tale recounted in the lecture, Tiresias' punishment for seeing the goddess Athena bathe was blindness. This mythical narrative highlights the consequences bestowed upon mortals who witness the private moments of the gods.
Tiresias, a prophet of Thebes, became a central figure in various Greek myths, and his blindness gave him the gift of foresight and heightened prophetic abilities. Despite his physical lack of sight, Tiresias was able to 'see' more than those around him, often revealing uncomfortable truths, as seen in his interactions with Oedipus in Sophocles' tragic play.
The motif of blindness and insight plays a significant role in Greek literature, often related to themes of knowledge, revelation, and the human condition. In the story of Tiresias, his blindness is a form of divine punishment but also a transformation that grants him a different kind of vision and wisdom. The irony of the blind seer is not restricted to Greek mythology; it is a wide theme also explored by philosophers such as Plato, whose allegory of the cave ventures into the realm of enlightenment and the pain of gaining true knowledge.
The correct answer to the question "According to Lecture, what was Tiresias' punishment for seeing Athena bathe?" is a. Blindness.