Final answer:
Tiresias's first statement to Oedipus in Oedipus Rex refers to the overwhelming and devastating consequences of knowing the truth without any means of changing or avoiding it.
Step-by-step explanation:
Tiresias, a blind prophet, makes his first statement to Oedipus in the play Oedipus Rex. He says, 'How dreadful is knowledge of truth can be when there's no help in truth.' In this statement, Tiresias is referring to the consequences of knowing the truth without any means of changing or escaping it.
He suggests that sometimes knowing the truth can be overwhelming and devastating if there is no way to change the outcome or avoid the consequences.
For example, in the context of the play, Oedipus is seeking the truth about his own identity and the murder of the previous king. When he discovers that he is the murderer and has unknowingly married his own mother, Jocasta, he is devastated by the truth.
The knowledge of truth becomes dreadful for Oedipus because there is no help or solution for him in that truth.