Oedipus Rex by Sophocles utilizes the correlation of one's dreams and prophecies to his or her inevitable fate (Predetermined by the gods and relayed to humans through the seer Tiresias, who's mind is in tune with Apollo's). The prophecies of Oedipus and others in this tragedy retain significance by fueling the excessive use of dramatic irony by Sophocles in order to intensify the text with substantial suspense. Not including Tiresias, all characters who speak are ignorant of what is to come by the conclusion of the tragedy, which makes all uttered words attributed to the overarching dramatic irony the audience has knowledge of. Oedipus, hopelessly pondering his thoughts, says, "What bandit would dare commit such a crime ¦ unless somebody here has hired him?  (pg.489 lines 141-142) We know this passage is emphasizing the fatal flaw of Oedipus, which is his undermining of the foretold prophecy by Tiresias. This passage is actually quite comical, as Oedipus is actively contributing to his own downfall by mismatching his own character with the circumstance at hand (hamartia). The word "bandit  exemplifies how quickly Oedipus puts labels on people after hearing the breakdown of a situation, as he continues to be hypocritical when judging the actions of others (himself). Posing a question regarding someone being hired to commit the crime shows how indecisive Oedipus is, as he leads himself to deny his prophecy and construe an alternate truth that feeds off the ignorance of others. Tiresias, putting social status to the side, levels with Oedipus and states, "You may be king, but my right to answer makes me your equal. In this respect, I am as much my own master as you are ¦ Go on, throw muck at Kreon, and at the warning spoken through my mouth. No man will ever be ground into wretchedness as you will be (pg.497 lines 490-522).  This is where Tiresias prophesies Oedipus' tragic fate, as he completely crushes Oedipus' belief that he