Dramatic Irony In Sophocles Oedipus The King

When the play Oedipus Rex was performed in 430 B.C., dramatic irony held the interest of the Athenian audiences. However, the irony in this play does not stop at dramatic irony. Different conflicts and situations form simple irony in Oedipus the King. For instance, the sight versus blindness conflict reoccurs several times throughout the play. In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King, the conflict of sight versus blindness creates irony. First, the conflict of sight versus blindness creates irony because Tiresias knows the truth, despite his physical blindness. For example, Oedipus says that “[Tiresias’s] mind, if not [his] eyes, sees how the city lives with a plague” (307-308) . Usually physical blindness represents ignorance, but Tiresias’s awareness of the situation contradicts that representation, creating irony. Also, the choragus calls Tiresias the “god’s prophet” (303). A prophet is someone who sees the future or has insight from the gods. Tiresias possesses the gift of seeing the future, but cannot physically see his surroundings. Tiresias’s gift of prophesying creates irony because Tiresias’s physical blindness clashes with the definition of a prophet.

For instance, Tiresias says that Oedipus’s “eyes can’t see the evil to which [he’s] come” (418). Oedipus’s great physical sight cannot help him because his ignorance of the truth blinded him of the knowledge. The contradiction of reality and expectation of Oedipus’s ability to solve the murder creates irony. Additionally, Oedipus mocks Tiresias and says that Tiresias is “blind in [his] ears, [his] reason, and [his] eyes” (376). However, even though Oedipus has great physical sight, he is blind in his reason and Tiresias holds the strength of the