Irony in Oedipus the king

Oedipus the king refers to an Athenian play by Sophocles.

The play was first shown in the year 429 BC. The play is basically developed through the use of a dramatic irony. All through the play there is a steady theme of dramatic irony that is related to vision and seeing. The two are separate but related concepts, and their links in meaning enables the use of irony throughout the play. A large part of the meaning of these two concepts is dependent on the individual’s situation.

It depends with who utters them and who they are directed to whether it is between two characters or characters and the readers.This is what makes it possible to have more tension and feelings from the audience until the end of the play, when everything is resolved. This is where the audience is aware of what is happening in the play while the characters themselves are unaware of it (Nassaar, 1997). The writer of the play uses dramatic irony to develop it through pathos towards the main character, creating suspense and prefiguring its conclusion. Despite the fact that the leader knows the outcome of the play, the prophecies, and the fate of the main character, he is not aware of the character’s reaction to the accusations.It is until Oedipus knows the truth, realizes his fate and starts accepting it that both him and the reader are on equal level of comprehension.

This is the point where there is resolution of the dramatic irony. This style makes the spectators to feel privileged because of having more information than even the main character (Burgess, 1972). This paper follows the instances of dramatic irony in the play. In the play dramatic irony is revealed in the lengthy speeches of Oedipus.

In most of them, the character always sees things incorrectly, is unaware and does not accept the reality.The two characters, King Laius and Oedipus are aware of their fate since they are told by the oracle, but they do not realize when they come to pass. However, the reader knows everything that is going on in the lives of the characters. When the king is told by the oracle that he is going to be killed by his own son, he orders his death, which does not happen.

When Oedipus is told by the oracle that he is going to kill his father and marry his mother, he runs away from his foster parents to avoid this from taking place, believing that they are his real parents.Even after he is told that they were not his real parents he convinces himself that they were. Both King Laius and Oedipus think that they have proven the prophecies wrong, by running from them, but the audience is aware that this is not the case. The prophecies are a part of the character’s life, yet he is unaware of it.

When Oedipus gives a speech to the people of Thebes, he promises to start from the beginning in bringing right to them. This is suspense to the readers who are left wondering how things will go. It is an irony that Oedipus is promising to find the killer of king Laius, while he is the killer and unaware of it.Another irony is that Oedipus is supposed to gain something by finding the person who killed the king.

This again leaves the readers wondering what will be the turn of events. He is quoted saying: “for whoever killed Laius might decide to raise his hands against me so acting on behalf of Laius I benefit myself too” (Sophocles, 10). This is ironic for the audience knows that he will not benefit since he is the murderer. In fact the audience knows that he will receive punishment instead of the reward that he is expecting.However, the reader also wonders what will happen after he realizes that he is going after himself (Burgess, 1972). The reader knows that Oedipus killed King Laius, but the play reveals his true anger for the person who killed the king.

“As for the murderer himself, I call down a curse on him…. may he drag out an evil death-in-life misery. And further I pronounce a curse on myself is the murderer should, with my knowledge share my house” (Sophocles, 14). It is an irony that he is calling a curse upon the murderer without knowing the curse is unto himself for he is the murderer.

He refers to this as an evil murder, obviously unaware of what happened. Since he entered Thebes after the murder, he is completely ruled out as a suspect into the killing. This also brings up suspense to the reader by wondering what he will do after realizing that he was the killer and was that he cursing himself (Dawe, 2006). The audience tends to feel sorry for Oedipus. The audience feels sorry for the ill-fated life of Oedipus and how to some extent he is responsible for the unhappiness in his life. This reaction of sorrow the reader develops through the play is a great contribution to the character personality.

The use of the irony makes the audience expectant. The audience feels sorry for the character at the point that he says he is lost, cursed and loathed by the gods more than any one else. This is because the audience knows what destiny awaits him despite the fact that he does not know (Nassaar, 1997). It is ironic that Oedipus finds fault with Tiresias’ temper.

This is what Tiresias tells him: “You find fault with my temper, but you have not seen your own that lives with you, and you blame me” (Sophocles, line 337).It seems that Oedipus does not realize about his temper that leads him to kill his father. Oedipus does not accept that there is temper that lives inside him as Tiresias points out. This is however revealed when Oedipus starts insulting him.

Oedipus claims that Tiresias, an oracle, is not in a position to provide a solution to the riddle of the sphinx, but him having no visions from birds or gods was in a position to provide it. Suspense is revealed here for the audience is left wondering why Tiresias did not provide the solution to the riddle of the sphinx (Burgess, 1972).There is another dramatic irony where Oedipus insults the physical blindness of the oracle and claims that it was as a result of this blindness that the oracle was prophetically blind. This is ironic to both Tiresias and the audience who are aware that the fate of Oedipus will be in darkness once he makes himself blind. It is ironic that Oedipus knows too well the solution to the riddle of the sphinx, while he is oblivious of his own fate.

Creon points out to Oedipus that: when he does not understand, he likes to say nothing.This meant that he had a deep knowledge of what he was translating. The audience knows for sure that he did not have as much knowledge as depicted for he could not translate his fate. He gained more confidence and pride assuming he had accomplished all the knowledge he had by himself. However, the viewers know that his glory will not last once the truth is out.

He is not knowledgeable as he believes and is unable to comprehend and accept the truth about himself (Dawe, 2006). There is another instant of dramatic irony when Creon comes back from the oracle.He talks to Oedipus about looking and finding. He tells his that one finds what he looks, but what is neglected flees.

This is important since there is a point where the character will be torn between the two options. He will be torn between looking and finding by his own understanding and curiosity or letting go of the issues as provoked by Tiresias, Jocasta, and the shepherd (Friedlander, 2010). Dramatic irony also predicts what might be the conclusion of the play. This is because prediction and the prophecies create an aspect of suspense that is not possible with any other style of writing.

For instance when Tiresias talks to Oedipus “without knowing it you are the enemy of your own flesh and blood …. This doubled aged curse shall one day drive you from this land” (Sophocles, 28). This predicts what might in the end happen to him. This means that at the end he might be banished from the land. The audience is aware of his mistakes and the curses that might cause this to happen in the end. Another irony is in the words of Oedipus to Tiresias.

He tells him to deliver himself, him and the city from all the infections brought about by the death of the king and that they are all in his hands.This is an irony for the audience knows that there is nothing Tiresias can do to save Oedipus. There is no way of delivering Oedipus from the curse out of the murder and it is up to him to realize this. There is suspense for the audience want to know how Tiresias will react to the pleas of Oedipus and how he is likely to react once the truth unfolds. He is obviously in denial when he accuses Creon for blaming the killing on him so that he can assume the throne. He is completely in denial despite the fact that all the prove points to him (Friedlander, 2010).

Tiresias the prophecies what will finally happen to Oedipus once he learns the truth. He tells him that his life will end in darkness and though he was seeing straight then, he will later see darkness. Despite the fact that Oedipus does not understand the implications of those words at the moment, there is prediction of what he might do to himself in the end. He was going to commit himself into darkness once the truth about his past, the prophecies and the real killer was revealed (Dawe, 2006).

Conclusion The play is developed through sorrow toward the tragic champion, creating suspense and predicting the conclusion of the play.At the end, it is established that Oedipus the king is a tragic piece revealing the character of a tragic champion and how fate plays an ill-fated game with him. The aspect of using dramatic irony is what makes the play a strong one; the entire piece is founded on dramatic irony, where the reader is aware of everything that is going on, while the lead character is in darkness. The entire life of the character is drafted out for him, but he is not aware of any aspect of it, while the audience knows every aspect of it. Oedipus becomes a victim of fate without knowing about it.

His fate was uncontrollable and could not be altered. Another irony is revealed at the end of the play. Oedipus, a man born with bad luck and a dishonored life, brings light to the lives of the people of Thebes, but at last denies himself light by making himself blind and lives his entire life in darkness. The writer ends with an irony since what would be expected of the society would be banishing Oedipus, but instead he makes himself blind.

The society did not get the chance as would have been expected to avenge their dead king for the killer ended up punishing himself.