Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles - Questions and Answers

1. "What makes Oedipus a tragic hero? What makes his predicament fascinating rather than merely horrifying?

From the very beginning of Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, the reader is able to identify Oedipus, the play’s protagonist, as a renowned hero. The prologue consists of a passage which boasts of his wise and powerful rule in the past and how the people greatly depend on him for future safety and good fortune (DiYanni 960-961). As the story progresses, however, it becomes apparent that Oedipus is more specifically a tragic hero. According to the Webster’s Dictionary, a “tragic hero” is a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. Oedipus has indeed been established as a great and virtuous character, but as the story unfolds it seems that all of his heroic endeavors lead him to tragic ends. For example, Oedipus arrogantly vows that he will solve the mystery of Laïos’s death and drive out the murderer, which will end the plague and save the kingdom. His bold intentions lead to tragic ends when he discovers that he is, in fact, that murderer of Laïos.

The tragic heroism of Oedipus, however, is not merely horrifying as one would expect from a Greek tragedy like Oedipus Rex. Instead, Oedipus’s predicament is more fascination, even hard to believe, due to his ignorance of the details of his actions. Had Oedipus intentionally killed his father and married his mother (as the prophecy foretold) and was now suffering the consequences of his actions, the situation would have been horrifying. On the contrary, Oedipus was ignorant and thought he had escaped the possibility of the prophecy being fulfilled by fleeing his home country. The fact that the prophecy was fulfilled unknowingly by Oedipus makes his fate bizarre and intriguing particularly for the reader.

2. Identify and explain the different types of irony in Oedipus Rex:

Irony plays a prominent role in Oedipus Rex and can be identified throughout the play. Most of the irony can be distinguished as either situational, verbal, or dramatic. Dramatic irony, in which the audience is aware of something the character is ignorant, is used early in the play. In Oedipus’s speech to the men of Thebes, he curses the murderer of Laïos willing the man’s life be “consumed with evil and wretchedness” (DiYanni 966).