Eliana Lothrop
Ms. Cook
English 10 Honors
11 May 2023
The Use of Irony in Oedipus the King In the book Oedipus the King written by Sophocles, irony is used in many ways to engage the audience by bringing out different reactions throughout the play since most people already knew the story. The plot follows Oedipus, the king of Thebes, as he uncovers the truth of his own terrible crimes of murder and incest. Eventually, this leads to him blinding himself and having Creon banish him to a life of misery away from Thebes. By using irony throughout the play Sophocles is able to make his audience laugh and also feel awkward with the knowledge that they have. One type of irony Sophocles uses multiple times during the play to get a reaction out of
…show more content…
At this point in the story, only the audience knows that Oedipus is the one who actually murdered Laius, and Oedipus is not yet aware that he is cursing himself to his later fate. This causes the audience to feel uncomfortable and cringe at Oedipus’ words knowing that they will come back to haunt him once he later finds out the truth. They know he will carry out his promise to the murderer even when the killer is no one other than himself. Also, this causes the audience to feel pity for Oedipus knowing how much he wants to solve this crime for justice but solving it will only lead to his descent from greatness. Another great example of Sophocles’ use of verbal irony later in …show more content…
Therefore, making the children Oedipus had with Jocasta both Oedipus’ kids and also his siblings. Upon hearing Oedipus say this line the audience feels awkward because they are reminded of the actual relationship between everyone in Oedipus’ family and how very close Oedipus and Laius are connected as father and son. In addition, this line is also slightly funny to the audience due to how unaware Oedipus currently is when talking about his family and how he mentions the death of Laius’ child who is actually Oedipus. Lastly, Sophocles also uses a lot of dramatic irony throughout the play and one great instance where it can be seen is when Jocasta is talking about Laius to Oedipus. She describes Lauis’ looks as similar to Oedipus’ on page 43 where she states, “He was a big man–his hair had just begun to turn white. And he had more or less the same build as you.”. To the audience, this line shows how the reveal of the truth is getting closer as Jocasta seems to be making more connections between Laius and Oedipus. It creates more tension as the story progresses closer to the reveal. Therefore, causing the audience to anticipate and feel a
past. Throughout the play, we notice that Sophocles makes the center of attention Oedipus's family origin, where we can tell that his true identity is still very much so attached to the past. In the forms of dramatic irony, the reader can see that Oedipus displays that he has been living a lie. The boy who didn't know he was adopted, not knowing he killed his own father, and certainly not knowing he was involved in incestuous relations with his own mother. Anger is a trait that King Oedipus definitely possess.
Easily perceived as a target by a supernatural force, the concept of an acclaimed Greek Tragedy throughout history lies in the heart of the tragic hero. " Oedipus the King," a classic play written by Sophocles, involves the protagonist named Oedipus leaving his hometown, Thebes, in attempt to escape the fate determined by the gods; however, inevitably fails to save his parents and himself, justifying the belief that man should not oppose their fate. Hence, in the tragedy of "Oedipus the King," Oedipus is meticulously defined as a tragic hero in which he demonstrates his hamartia of overwhelming pride, in turn leading to negative repercussions to others' lives due to Oedipus's downfall. Sophocles's classic tragedy precisely demonstrates Oedipus
Oedipus as a king has hubris or excessive pride and sees himself as having superiority over all others. “I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth from others, messengers. Here I am myself—you all know me, the world knows my fame: I am Oedipus” (Lines 1-6). This sets up the view that exactly from the beginning of the story, Oedipus is worshipped as this highly renowned king. This sets up the dramatic irony that even though Oedipus is praised, the people reciting the story are the ones who along with Oedipus will discover the truth about his life.
Most people watching the play would probably laugh at this passage because they all know information that Oedipus doesn’t. Oedipus is completely oblivious to the possibility that he may be the son of Laios. Sophocles wrote this passage specifically to be ironic and keep the viewers entertained. The line “[Laios’] son would have been my children’s brother” is especially ironic, because not only would his son be his children’s brother, he would also be Oedipus’ brother. Sophocles also uses this passage to add to the plot of the story.
This blindness towards doom is made even more ironic by the fact that he was made king by his knowledge and insight. Oedipus was known as the person who solved the famous riddle of the Sphinx, a monster which terrorized the citizens. As the play proceed, we can see how much of a contrast between the two groups of character there is, even the messengers knows stuff that the king doesn’t. Sentences like “My son, it is clear that you don’t know what you are doing” (Sophocles 55) salutes to the ignorance of the supposedly “wise” king. Using words like “son”, Sophocles gives an sign that even the messenger It illustrates the flaws that exist in Oedipus, amplifies it by comparing him to other who are supposedly
Throughout both plays, dramatic irony is used to portray the protagonists as tragic heroes and deliver their meanings as a whole. The heroes are not necasarilly aware of these events of dramatic irony, but they are apparent to the audience. One example is when Oedipus refused to believe Teiresias the blind prophet about the truth of his actions and the prophecy. Oedipus called him a “… sightless, witless, senseless, mad old man,” when ironically Oedipus , “with both [his] eyes”, was the one blind to the prophecy and the severity of his actions (Act1.
Niya Kebreab King Oedipus: Moral Ambiguity In the play King Oedipus, Sophocles depicts Oedipus’ inevitable downfall, which represents man’s struggle between free will and fate. In an attempt to use the audience’s knowledge to his advantage, Sophocles opens the play seventeen years after Oedipus murders his father, Laius and marries his mother, Jocasta. The sequence in which the story unravels reveals the strong psychological focus towards Oedipus’ character. In search of his identity, Oedipus’ enigmatic quality and moral ambiguity compels readers to question whether his ignorance renders him morally blameless.
As Oedipus finally discovers who he is and what he has done, Sophocles reiterates the connection of sight with ignorance, and blindness with knowledge by having Oedipus blind himself. But before Oedipus blinds himself, he finally connects all the “puzzle pieces” of his life. He realizes that he had indeed killed Laius, who was his father, and married his mother. He soon goes into his house and finds Jocasta dead.
Shakespeare used a lot of irony in his drama Othello to make his plays theatrical and dramatic. Everything in this drama ties into something that will later happen in the storyline. One example of this is in Act 1, Scene 3 “It’s silly to live when life is torture. The only cure is death.”.
When Teiresias accuses Oedipus of being the defiler of the land he forgets the problems of the people and is encased in anger making him accuse Creon of bribing Teiresias. When he is speaking to his wife, Jocasta, he can only concentrate on one thing at a time and forgets the mention of Laius having a child and also forgets the problem concerning his birth. Finally with the message from Corinth he starts to realize how everything ties together. Bloom states that “we learn that the best sort of tragic hero is a man highly esteemed and prosperous who falls into misfortune because of some serious (mega√lh) aÓmarti√a:examples, Oedipus and Thyestes.”(18).
Sophocles uses dramatic irony to show the ignorance of Oedipus Rex as he cannot see the truth. Oedipus cannot see the truth because his hubris is encouraged by the people and himself. Oedipus’ ignorance is also clearly displayed after an effort to save his city. Although Oedipus is a fictional character created thousands of years ago, his actions can easily connect to many people in today 's society. The theme conveyed in Sophocles play Oedipus Rex is hubris often results in one 's ignorance.
It is ironic how he talks about what could possibly be his own consequences for his actions. While giving the speech Oedipus says “I pray, too, that, if he should become an honoured guest in my own home and with my knowledge, I may suffer all those things I’ve just called down upon the killers” (Sophocles). Oedipus explains how the suspect will face bad things, and that if the murderer was let into his own house, with his knowledge, he shall be punished for it. The reader can infer that Oedipus may be the culprit considering he may ironically be the “honored guest in his own home.” This can seem like a reasonable outcome considering the reader knows that the position of a king is honorable.
“but I have known the story before you told it only too well” (67) This line may be the most characterizing line of all “Oedipus the king”, it expresses the whole of why the play stands about among the hoard of scripts. The line displays the idea of the dramatic irony infused, how the audience understands the true meaning which the actors on stage do not, and that scares us. I believe this motif may lend itself to the idea of this play being created for relatability, a situation in which the audience’s hearts may yearn and attune to. The anxiety of waiting for a brave messenger to profess the truth, regardless of how painful. The understanding of the pain, delirium, and treachery Oedipus is overcome with after hearing it was he who killed
In Oedipus Rex, Sophocles describes how the life of a King of Thebes falls in misfortune after knowing the truth about his origin. At the beginning of this play, Kreon informs Oedipus that the plague affecting Thebes will cease when the killer of King Laios, former King of Thebes, is found. Therefore, Oedipus intends to find the killer of Laios without knowing that this search will have dire consequences for his life. In the course of the play, readers can appreciate how the characters are and how they relate to each other. Oedipus, who at first sight is a loyal king, who faces his fears and protects his people, is shown as a tragic hero who will suffer the consequences of his actions.
Oedipus the King is one of the most ironic plays ever written. Sophocles, the author, is a famous philosopher of the ancient times The Play is about Oedipus, the king of Thebes, who kills his father and marries his mother. An oracle warned Laius, the king of Thebes prior to Oedipus, that his son would murder him. Accordingly, when his wife, Jocasta, had a son, he exposed the baby by first pinning his ankles together. The infant, who was adopted by King Polybus of Corinth and his wife was then brought up as their very own.