Irony is an element of literature very well known in Greek epics. In Oedipus Rex irony is demonstrated in a series of events. The play itself is a classic dramatic irony at its finest and inside it the different parts are full of irony as well. The play, written by Sophocles, is about a prophecy in which Oedipus' fate is to kill his father and marry his mother, his parents try to change this prophecy and so does he, but their acts to try to change the prophecy result in the prophecy becoming true. From the beginning of the play, Oedipus is ignorant of the terrible acts he has committed: the murder of his father and the marrying of his mother. Every word and action of Oedipus in regards to the murder of King Laios links itself with dramatic irony. For instance, Oedipus' speeches demanding the people of Thebes reveal the murderer in the early part of the play is an example of dramatic irony. Even though Oedipus is not a bad person, his pride blinds his ability to see the truth of the prophecy, and eventually leads to his own demise. When the town people come to him, begging for help, he does not hesitate in trying to free them from the plague. Once it becomes known though that the disasters are being caused by the murder of the former King Laios, Oedipus makes it clear that he “[would] fight for him as [he] would [his] own murdered father.†so the the murderer of King Laios can be found. The irony in this speech that Oedipus makes to the chorus lies, since the murdered King Laios is his father. By cursing Laos' murderer to live in wretchedness, Oedipus curses himself. The curse comes to realization as Oedipus uncovers the truth and suffers the consequences of his misfortunes through self-infliction and exile. In another example of dramatic irony is when Tiresias visits King Oedipus who mocks him for being blind, Tiresias in a fit of rage and anger tells him "you with both your eyes you are blind: You can not see the wretchedness of your life, Nor in whose house you live, no, nor with whom. Who are your father and mother? Can you tell me? You don't even know the blind wrongs that you have done them, on earth and in the world below.†It is when Oedipus becomes blind and only then, that he is able to see the truth. It is also ironic that Tiresias, though he is without sight sees reality quite accurately. In general, irony is a very common technique used in every drama work and it is usually used by the author when something dramatic is about to happen the existence of the main characters in the story. This example of dramatic irony enable the reader or audience to become involved in the drama of Oedipus, although they already know the outcome and helps play an important role in the downfall of his character.
Homework Help - 1 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
I suggest you to post this question in the specialized section of Yahoo Answers. Hope you'll get the answer you're looking for. Good luck
Read more discussions :
