Oedipus Rex Irony

404 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Use of irony in oedipus rex

Oedipus Rex was a tragic hero who took part in his own downfall. That is the central idea of the play Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles in ancient Greece. His use of irony develops the central idea that Oedipus was a tragic hero who took part in his own downfall. In Oedipus Rex, irony is used when Oedipus thinks he is avoiding fate, but actually ensuring it. Oedipus’s prophecy was that he was going to marry his mother and murder his father. To avoid this, he flees from Corinth to Thebes, what he does not know is that his birth parents are not the parents he grew up with. So, when he marries the queen of Thebes, Jocasta, the couple does not realize that they are actually mother and son. How does this contribute to the downfall of Oedipus? His fatal flaw, hubris, prevents him from discovering the truth. “I thought it wrong, my children, to hear the truth from others, messengers. Here I am …show more content…

“I curse myself as well…if by any chance he proves to be an intimate of our house” (172). Oedipus is the murderer of Laius, but he does not know that for a long time. This contributes to his downfall because cursing himself obviously does not help him, also his hubris is stopping him again from coming to terms with the truth. Since Oedipus is mostly good, he believes that he could not be a murder, even though he killed a man in his travels. “I count myself the son of Chance, the great goddess, giver of all good things—I'll never see myself disgraced” (224).
Irony is a strategy used by Sophocles to create the tragic hero Oedipus and his downfall. There are several examples of irony throughout the play Oedipus Rex, including when Oedipus unknowingly marries his mother and when he curses himself by cursing the murderer of Laius. In the end, Oedipus eventually figures out the truth and gouges his eyes out. His fatal flaw, hubris, was responsible for his

Show More
Related

  • How Is Oedipus Arrogant

    708 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles and translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald, Oedipus was a tyrannos who tried to save the city of Thebes from a long lasting plague. Unfortunately, his short temper and hubris led to his downfall while he tried to do so. He was too arrogant and self-centered to even bother to recognize the several ignorant mistakes he made. Before his fall, Oedipus experienced and created chaos at different points throughout the story, although he did restore order in the end.

    Read More

  • Blindness In Oedipus The King

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sophocles’ use of irony displays to the reader that Oedipus is not as much of a visionary as he is made out to be. One of the more iconic portrayals of this would be the scene where Tiresias frames Oedipus for the murder of Laius. In the scene, Tiresias states, “I have said what I came here to say not fearing your countenance; there is no way you can hurt me. I tell you, king, this man, this murderer (whom you have long declared you are in search of, indicting him in threatening proclamation as

    Read More

  • Irony in Oedipus the King

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus Rex, by the Greek playwright Sophocles, is, without a doubt, one of the greatest examples of dramatic irony. There are many instances where the audience knows so much more than the main characters, and Sophocles uses irony to point to Oedipus as Laius' murderer as well. Additionally, Oedipus is most definitely a tragic hero-he had a tragic flaw, namely that he was relentless and often rash in his search for the truth about Laius' death and his killer; this ultimately lead to Oedipus' own destruction. He also refuses to compromise or humble himself before others and stubbornly refuses to allow others to express different opinions from their own. Oedipus is so arrogant and self-confident that he challenges the will of the gods (hence, the entire basis of the play).

    Read More

  • The Intention of Oedipus in Oedipus the King

    1161 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oedipus Rex, also known as 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 unwittingly killed his father and married his mother. An oracle warned Laius, the king of Thebes prior to Oedipus, that his son would slay him. Accordingly, when his wife, Jocasta, bore a son, he exposed the baby on Mt. Cithaeron, first pinning his ankles together (hence the name Oedipus, meaning Swell-Foot). A shepherd took pity on the infant, who was adopted by King Polybus of Corinth and his wife and was brought up as their son. In early manhood Oedipus visited Delphi and upon learning that he was fated to kill his father and marry his mother, he resolved never to return to Corinth. Travelling toward Thebes, he encountered Laius, who provoked a quarrel in which Oedipus killed him.

    Read More

  • Comparison of Oedipus the King and Death of a Salesman

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dramatic irony in Oedipus the King is evident throughout, which is similar to the latter play, but in a different form. In here, the irony is evident. Oedipus the King revolves around characters' attempts to change their destiny (which fails) - Jocasta and Laius's killing of Oedipus and Oedipus's flight from Corinth. Each time somebody tries to avert the future, the audience knows their attempt is futile, creating irony. When Jocasta and Oedipus mock the oracles, they continue to suspect that they were right. Oedipus discounts the oracles' power, but believes in his ability to uncover the truth, yet they lead to the same outcome. His intelligence is what makes him great, but it is also what causes the tragedy. When he ridded Thebes of the Sphinx, Oedipus is the city's saviour, but by killing Laius and marrying Jocasta, he is its affliction, causing the blight that strikes the city during the opening. Meanwhile, the characters, especially Teiresias, mention sight, light, darkness, &c as metaphors, while referring to `seeing the truth'. However, while Teiresias knows the truth and is blind, Oedipus can see all but the truth. When he discovers the truth, he becomes blind. Also, he does not just solve the Sphinx's riddle - he is its answer. His birth is mentioned throughout the play (crawling on `4 legs'), and he never relies on anybody but himself (`standing on his own `2 legs'),...

    Read More

  • Audience engagement in King Oedipus

    1166 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dramatic irony is used commonly throughout the play: sometimes obviously, sometimes it is more subtle. By using it so often it makes the audience think about the subtleties moments and how they could be ironic, which is a very clever way to keep their attention. When Jocasta figures out that she is in fact Oedipus?s mother, she tries to stop him from finding out, and ironically, Oedipus gets offended and more motivated to figure out the truth, as he believes that she thinks he is the offspring of slaves. This example builds tension because it gives a guarantee that he won?t give up until he figures out the truth. ?Oedipus whose name is afar? says this in the beginnin...

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus is a hero, as defined by Johnston. According to Johnston, ‘a hero is someone who confronts fate in a very personal manner and whose reaction to that encounter serves to illuminate for us our own particular condition’ (Johnston, Part 2). Oedipus definitely confronts fate in a personal manner. Among other things, he challenges the mysterious qualities of fate by pursuing the Shepherd despite warnings from Jocasta (Sophocles, 71). Oedipus follows through on confronting fate with his individual approach of uncompromising persistence and integrity (Johnston, Part 3). Even at the end of his downfall, Oedipus maintains that Kreon should banish him and that he must obey the curses he himself ordered for the murderer of King Laios (Sophocles, 89-90). Despite being so broken and publicly shamed, Oedipus still persists with his former way of interacting with fate : noble defiance (Johnston, Part 3). Although this quality itself is admirable, Oedipus takes uncompromising to the extreme, losing insight on everything else. Oedipus becomes ignorant to his surroundings, leading to his downfall (Johnston, Part 3). Oedipus’ story also challenges the fundamental belief that life should be rational and just. (Johnston, Part 3) His story illuminates that fate is arbitrarily cruel and will sometimes pick the gre...

    Read More

  • Responsibility for Actions in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    There were a series of events that occurred causing Oedipus did to lure himself to destruction. Oedipus wouldn?t have cursed himself so ignorantly had he been more diligent to analyze the murder with the former King Laius. He deliberately wanted to curse the murder. (On page 438; lines 226-271) "Upon the murder I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out his life in misery or doom! If with my knowledge he lives at my hearth, I pray that I myself may feel my curse."

    Read More

  • Use of Dramatic Irony in Oedipus the King

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    The behavior of Oedipus is ironic, because he is not capable to grasp the truth that is being unrevealed before his eyes. Oedipus is blinded by his ignorance. He is a very confident man and powerful in the way he acts and talks. Oedipus is so blind to himself, that instead of relying on the oracles, he counts on his own knowledge to find out the truth. Oedipus is destined from birth to someday marry his mother and to murder his father.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex as Social Commentary

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus Rex, written by the Poet Sophocles in the Golden Age of Greek Theatre, was described by Aristotle to be the greatest tragedy of all time. It encapsulates the very essence of the Greek cultural milieu, and it is these ideologies which are translated into the play. The very essence of Greek society; the political democracy, a moral belief in the power of the Gods and social recognition of hierarchy, are portrayed when the society is pictured in a state of chaos.

    Read More

  • Use of Irony in Oedipus the King

    310 Words  | 1 Pages

    Oedipus is self-confident, intelligent and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his demise. Sophocles makes liberal use of irony throughout “Oedipus the King”. He creates various situations in which dramatic and verbal irony play key roles in the downfall of Oedipus. Dramatic irony depends on the audience’s knowing something that the character does not and verbal irony is presented when there is a contradiction between what a character says and what they mean. Both of these elements are used effectively to develop the tale of Oedipus.

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex Irony Essay

    607 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sophocles, Oedipus Rex Irony comes in many different forms verbally, dramatically and situationally. Writers consider irony to be a potent tool to sustain the the interest of the readers in key points of a story, and to generate curiosity of what is to happen next. The primary characteristic of Sophocles Oedipus Rex is that it is an ironic play, specifically dramatic irony although situational and verbal irony also played some key roles in it. Sophocles also incorporates 3 main characteristics of a tragic hero in his play which are Hubris, Hamartia and Anagnorisis.

    Read More

  • Oedipus The King Tragedy Analysis

    1733 Words  | 4 Pages

    When Oedipus inquires “who is this man whose fate the god pronounces?” (1740) after this inquiry almost every statement made by Oedipus becomes ironic because he is referring to himself though he is yet to find out. The audience is aware that the more he looks into the murder of the former king Laius the worse it is going to be for him. Sophocles’ use of dramatic irony keeps the audience one step ahead of the protagonist so they are able to see the errors made by Oedipus. Because the audience has had time to figure what the mistakes are, they are more emotionally invested in how Oedipus will react when he finally understands all the mistakes he has made through the play. As the play progresses the audiences attitude about Oedipus starts to slowly shift; the emotions start to become deeper and we start to see that though he is guilty of murder empathize with

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Oedipus

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    The ancient story documented in the writing Oedipus Tyrannus by Sophocles follows the story of a clever and strong hero who has tragedy befall him. He is fated to kill his father and marry his mother as a result of his father not heeding a warning from the gods. Upon discovering this, Oedipus blinds himself in excruciating guilt, to cut off his senses from the world around him. This guilt is not deserved by Oedipus because he committed the heinous crimes unwittingly he thus, making him innocent of the actions that spurn on the tragic events that occur. While Oedipus possesses some character flaws, they were not conducive to the tragedies that transpire. Rather, he is a heroic and just man who suffers for no fault of his own because of a curse

    Read More

  • Oedipus Rex: One Of The Greatest Tragedy

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oedipus Rex is considered to be one of the greatest tragedies. It has all the hallmarks of Greek tragedies. This includes the downfall of the character of high status or power, the hero’s suffering because of hamartia, and his hubris that causes the error. Oedipus, the tragic hero, was prideful. It could be argued that because of this trait; he makes the mistake of trying to escape his fate; thus making sure it would come true. Although Oedipus was flawed, this is not the complete reason for his downfall. The gods, not surprisingly, had a hand in Oedipus’ horrible fate. Apollo engineered the events that would ultimately end in Oedipus’ catastrophe.

    Read More

More about Oedipus Rex Irony

Open Document