Oedipus the King

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Recommended: Example of IRONY in fahrenheit 451

Irony is “incongruity between the actual results of a sequence of events and the normal or expected results (Merriam – Webster).” This means that a person may think that something is going to happen based on what they see or what they believe, when in reality the exact opposite happens. Irony can be further specified as dramatic or tragic irony. These types of irony often occur in plays, stories, and movies; where viewers or readers are led in one direction and director or author reveals different results than what is expected. The sudden twists and turns create drama and keep people interested thus, deserving the name dramatic irony. In the play Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, things are not as they seem. According to Matt Wolf of the International Harold Tribune, “dramatic irony could not have wished for a better casebook study”(2008). Deception, lies, and trickery are all part of the story. Oedipus is faced with difficult situations from birth and becomes a victim to the hands of irony. Even when wholeheartedly believing that he is doing right, Oedipus is being played as a pawn. The ironic solutions to his problems compound matters that are already negative in nature. In the beginning of the play, Thebes has been stricken with a horrible plague. Many people in the town are dying and sick. The townspeople along with the priest come to King Oedipus hoping he might be able to stop the plague. After sending Creon to consult the Oracle, Creon returns to Thebes and insists that Oedipus hears the results in private. Oedipus demands that all his people hear the message that the Oracle has sent through Creon. The Oracle said the murderer of Laios is in Thebes and he must be driven out of the city in order to for the plague to end. After ... ... middle of paper ... ... Revisited." Modern Psychoanalysis 31.2 (2006): 229-250. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Mar. 2011. Miriam-webster. "Irony - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 06 Apr. 2011. . Rankine, Patrice. Passing as Tragedy: Philip Roth's the Human Stain, the Oedipus Myth, and the Self-made Man. 47 Vol. Taylor & Francis Inc, 2005. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 21 Apr. 2011. Robson, Mark. "Oedipal Visuality: Freud, Romanticism, Hamlet." Romanticism 15.1 (2009): 54-64. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Mar. 2011. Sophocles., Dudley Fitts, and Robert Fitzgerald. The Oedipus Cycle: An English Version. New York: Harcourt, 1977. Wolf, Matt. Fiennes Seeks the Truth in 'Oedipus'. Neuilly, France:, 2008. ProQuest. Web. 21 Apr. 2011.

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