Use of Dramatic Irony in Oedipus the King

406 Words1 Page

In the play "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, the author presents us with several instances of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. Dramatic irony plays an important part in "Oedipus the King", because it is used to describe Oedipus' character as arrogant and blind toward the truth. The audience is expected to understand Oedipus' history well before he does. In the first three episodes, Oedipus uses a lot of dramatic irony in his speeches.

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.

One example of dramatic irony is when Oedipus is looking for the killer of the king Laius-his father. The irony here is that he is looking for himself because he is the murder of his father. Oedipus knows that he killed someone, but what he does not know is that it was Laius, the one he murder. Oedipus wants to punish the person who killed Laius, but we, the audience know that Oedipus was the one who killed Laius. Also Oedipus married Jocasta without knowing that she is his mother. We, the audience knew that he was Jocasta's son, but he was unaware of that.

When Creon, brother in law of Oedipus accuses him of being a murder, Oedipus was really mad. He accuses Creon of betrayal and hypocrisy. In another speech, Oedipus accuses Creon for pointing him as guilty for the murder of Laius. We can see that when Oedipus says:

"I curse myself as well...if by any chance

he proves to be an intimate of our house,

here at my hearth, with my full knowledge,"

The irony here is that he is cursing himself, because in reality he is blind to what is really happening. Oedipus is in denial to his guilty, even though all of the evidence points to him.

Show More
Related

  • Oedipus Sight And Blindness Essay

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    Near the end of the play, Creon speaks to Oedipus saying: "Think no longer that you are in command here, but rather think How, when you were, you served your own destruction" (77). In these lines did Creon meant to say that Oedipus himself is responsible for bringing his own destruction and misfortune upon his family? We can surely argue saying yes because he himself was the one who had stated that no one would speak or communicate with the murderer, and must pay for his/her sins through exile or losing their life in the form of death. Now the decision was already made and the gods had already decided for Oedipus’ fate.

    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

  • Examples Of Dramatic Irony In The Odyssey

    209 Words  | 1 Pages

    One type of irony in the epic The Odyssey by Homer is dramatic irony in the episode "The Cyclops". The author's message of using irony is to show that brute force is not the way to go it better to be clever in complicated situation. Dramatic irony is when there is a contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader or audience knows to be true. The speaker's purpose in the Cyclops was to entertain you and to inform his people that there are these creatures out in their world. When I started to read the Cyclops I was thinking it was going to be a new adventure, till the Cyclops ate one of his trustworthy men. The feelings I felt while reading this section was very gruesome. While Odysseus started to talk about his men getting

    Read More

  • The Use of Dramatic, Situational, and Verbal Irony in Shakespeare's Othello

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many examples of situational irony in Othello. One big example that went throughout the story was the triangle of Cassio, Othello, and Iago. Iago wanted Cassio dead, while Othello promoted Cassio to a higher position, and later in the story also wanted to have him killed. What is ironic is the fact that in the end, both Iago and Othello end up dead, while Cassio comes out on top. Another example is the use of the handkerchief.

    Read More

  • The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ut his tragic downfall. The significant use of dramatic irony in the tragedy of Oedipus compels the spectator to be involved emotionally in Oedipus' blind heroic struggles to find the truth. Thus, Sophocles effectively implements the art of dramatic irony through the tragedy of Oedipus Tyrannus.

    Read More

  • Foreshadowing in Socrates´Oedipus the King

    540 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first instance of irony deals with Oedipus’ ankles. After his parents heard of the prophecy they tried to find a way...

    Read More

  • Irony In 'The Big Sleep, Oedipus The King'

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    As for “Oedipus the King”, irony is present, just in a different manor. The type of irony seen in this story is dramatic. The audience knows who the murderer of Laius his whereas Oedipus does not. This is mainly ironic because, in fact, Oedi...

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Devices In Oedipus The King

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    An allusion is being used in the play to explain that Oedipus has just sinned by saying “I tell you, you have sinned/ And do not know it-against your own earth/ And in your grave. This is an allusion to the bible. This relates to the bible because the sin is acting as a god. If you are wrong to the gods then the wrath Tuataras will come down on you. Oedipus has just sinned and sooner or later the wrath will comes down on him. He knows he has just made the wrong decision, but does not want to admit it. He states this because his ego is bigger than the Gods, so he will eventually have to suffer for

    Read More

  • Blindness In Sophocles Oedipus The King

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sophocles uses dramatic irony to show the ignorance and naivety that makes someone blind to the truth. While Oedipus’ past, having killed his father and married his mother, is clear to the reader, it remains unknown the him. His further actions seem logical in his mind, but senseless in the mind of the reader due to his lack of knowledge. The dramatic irony that reoccurs throughout the story, may even become frustrating to the reader. Immediately following his interaction with the blind man, Oedipus goes on to accuse Creon of conspiring against him and of killing the former king. Creon addresses this

    Read More

  • Theme Of Conflicts And Irony In Oedipus

    2013 Words  | 5 Pages

    “But now-- whose story is more sorrowful than yours?” (Sophocles, line 1210.) The final use of dramatic irony is that no matter how he tries to avoid danger, he finds it waiting for him. “After he left Corinth, at a meeting place of three roads, Oedipus was offended by a man in a chariot. He killed the man and all of his servants but one. From there he went on to Thebes, where he became the new king by answering the riddle of the Sphinx” (Weigel Jr., 1.) The irony doesn 't stop there, however, as the king is so famous for his actions that the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud coined the Oedipus Complex: the instinct of young males to love their mothers and do away with their fathers. The irony of it is that Oedipus did so unaware of his conditions.

    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

  • 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

  • Sympathy for Oedipus in the Oedipus Tyrannus

    2239 Words  | 5 Pages

    Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother, with whom he produces four children. These are terrible crimes, impious, immoral and illegal. However, the fact that he carries these out in ignorance, not conscious of his own actions, attributes them to severe misfortune and a cruel fate. He even tried, in vain, to avoid the completion of this destiny, leaving his believed home city of Corinth upon hearing it told to him at the Oracle of Apollo ("I heard all that and ran" 876). Thus, when it is revealed to him, this sudden revelation of his crimes within one day leads him to blind himself so that he can no longer see what he has done ("Nothing I could see could bring me joy" 1473). The blinding was not required by fate and is indeed self inflicted but he believed that it is just punishment for what he has done, and by doing so he regains some control over his fate ("hand that struck my eyes was mine...

    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

  • Use of Irony in Oedipus the King

    310 Words  | 1 Pages

    Sophocles makes use of many situations involving dramatic irony. In fact, the entire play could be said to be an example of dramatic irony. The audience becomes aware of Oedipus’ prophecy from the very beginning of the play. The reading from the Oracle stated that Oedipus was destined to murder his father and marry his mother. Although Oedipus is unaware of his fate, the reader knows the tragic future of the character. This use of dramatic irony allows the story to avoid the typical Greek tragedy structure and keep the reader intrigued as the events unfold.

    Read More

More about Use of Dramatic Irony in Oedipus the King

Open Document