oedipus dramatic irony essay

Only available on StudyMode Read full document → Save to my library Dramatic Irony in Oedipus In the play written by Sophocles, Oedipus the King, there are several instances of irony. Dramatic irony, or tragic irony as some critics would prefer to call it, usually means a situation in which the character of the play has limited knowledge and says or does something in which they have no idea of the significance. The audience, however, already has the knowledge of what is going to occur or what the consequences of the characters actions will be. The degree of irony and the effect it has depends upon the readers' grasp and recognition of some discrepancy between two things. Our first taste of dramatic irony comes very early into the play when Oedipus vows to bring to justice the killer of Laius, which is in reality himself. When he learns that the bringing of justice of Laius' killer will rid the city of a terrible plague, he sets forth with a plan to track down the killer. Oedipus begins to curse the killer and vows: Oedipus: As for the criminal, I pray to God - Whether it be a lurking thief, or one of a number - I pray that that man's life be consumed in evil and wretchedness. And as for me, this curse applies no less (968) This is very ironic, as Oedipus is indeed, without knowledge of the truth, talking about himself. Another example of dramatic irony is the power of fate and Oedipus' powerlessness against it. Throughout the play we are aware of Oedipus' fate and we realize there is nothing that he can do to change it. When Oedipus tells his city after listening to their plea for help against the terrible sickness and plague that has taken over the city: Oedipus: I know that you are deathly sick; and yet, Sick as you are, not one is as sick as I. (963) The audience understands the truth and the irony in that statement. Oedipus should not worry about himself becoming.
Undoubtedly, the greatest irony in the drama of Oedipus Rex is the fact that King Oedipus, who has rescued Thebes by solving the riddle of the Sphinx, seeks to rid the people of suffering again by advising them to seek out the murderer of King Laius, who ruled Thebes before Oedipus, while he unknowingly is the very cause of this suffering. There are, of course, other ironies that emerge as the play develops. SCENE I Oedipus issues the proclamation that any man who knows who killed Laius must tell him everything and                                                  .no further troubleWill come to him, but he may leave the land in safety.Let him not keep silent:  he shall have his reward from me. (216-219) The irony here is that when Teiresias is accused by Oedipus of lying and is berated by him, not rewarded. Oedipus also decrees that the man who did kill Laius shall never be spoken to and him shall.be driven from every house,Being, as he is, corruption itself to us. (227-228) and he hopes that this murderer will not [L]ay violent hands even on me. Later, he ironically forbids the Thebans to ever receive or speak to the man who has murdered Laius. Further, with dramatic irony, he curses himself, I pray that that man's life be consumed in evil and wretchedness (234).  Then, he insists that Teiresias go to Apollo to learn who the murderer is that they can kill or exile him. When Teiresias replies with irony, How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be When there's no help in truth! (304-305) Later, Oedipus and Teiresias argue and, with dramatic irony, Oedipus accuses Teiresias of the crime he has committed, Now twice you have spat out infamy. You'll pay for it! (348) Even further, he accuses Teiresias of being blind and making a fool of himself for coming to him, telling the page to lead the seer away. But, before he goes, Teiresias makes a prediction that Oedipus.
Enter Your Search Terms to Get Started! dramatic irony in oedipus rex In the Greek tragedy, “Oedipus The King,” by Sophocles, a detective story emerges, and a style of writing is used very effectively. This style that Sophocles used is his play was dramatic irony. This is when the reader has more knowledge of what is really happened before the characters can even find out themselves. As the murder mystery unfolds before the reader, Sophocles uses dramatic irony to keep the reader on the inside throughout the entire play, so that they are never clueless to what has really happened. During the play, a murder is discovered early on. Sophocles uses much dramatic irony to have the reader clued in before the character. There are many examples throughout the first couple of scenes. When Teiresias, the holy prophet comes into scene I, we learn of Oedipus being the murderer of King Laios. We are told this before Oedipus even knows that he killed this king. Sophocles explains this when he uses Teiresias to foreshadow that Oedipus is the murderer. Teiresias says, “You yourself are the pollution of this country” (line 135). Again he says on line 162, “Creon is no threat, you weave you own doom.” By him making these comments towards Oedipus we are learning that it is Oedipus that is the villain. By use of dramatic irony the reader will discover the truth before the character. Later on in the scene, Teiresias says, “You can not see the wretchedness of your own life.” This is just yet another example of the author showing the reader that Oedipus is the villain. It becomes obvious to the reader that the king who was murdered, was really Oedipus’s father. By use of dramatic irony the reader discovers this before the character. The reader learns of this when Teiresias asks, “Who are your Father and Mother? Can you tell me?” In the final paragraph of the scene this point valid is.
In Sophocles's Oedipus Rex, the title character is a classic example of Aristotle's tragic hero.  Oedipus, who unknowingly kills his biological father and marries his biological mother, is widely recognized as one of the most unfortunate victims of fate in all of literature.  The play opens with Oedipus making a vow to find the killer of Laius in order to free the city of Thebes from punishment by the gods.  A genuinely good man who cares deeply about his people, Oedipus vows to stop at nothing to find and punish Laius's murdered.  The entire speech, along with many other lines/situations from the rest of the play, can be labeled as dramatic irony since the audience knows something (that Oedipus is Laius's biological son and murderer) that Oedipus doesn't know: Now, since I am ruler and hold this kingdom that he held before—holding also the bed and wife we have both sown; and children of the same mother would have been born to us, had his line not been ill-fated—since chance(270) has driven me into that one’s powers, therefore I shall fight for him in this matter, as if for my own father, and I shall try everything, seeking to find the one who committed the murder, for Labdacus’ son,(275) son of Polydorus, and before him Cadmus and Agenor, kings of old. As the plot of the play unfolds Oedipus finally comes to understand who he is and what he has done.  And keeping his word, he banishes himself from Thebes for his actions.
Answered by sten h 383528 on 2:52 PM I was looking to this page for help, but unfortunately, none of the respondents seem to understand what dramatic irony actually is. So, I will include a definition so that future respondents will be able to accurately provide examples.British Dictionarydramatic ironynoun 1.(theatre) the irony occurring when the implications of a situation, speech, etc, are understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play.