Theme Of Irony In Oedipus The King - 913 Words

Tragic heroes continuously draw both pity, due to the characters inevitability to fail, and fear, because of the character’s fall from strength, power, and knowledge, from their audience. In Sophocles’, Oedipus the King, Oedipus’ power and knowledge are unparalleled by man as he is the only man able to solve the Riddle of the Sphinx and save Thebes. Yet after receiving an unpleasant reading from the Oracle at Delphi during a quest to find his true self, Oedipus directly challenges Apollo, and his hubris ends up preventing him from finding out who he really is; The murderer of his father, King Laius, and husband of his own mother, Jocasta. Throughout the play, Sophocles uses irony to expose Oedipus’ identity to the audience and highlight†¦show more content†¦Oedipus ironically mocks Tiresias because of his physical blindness, but does not realize his hubris blinds him from the truth, preventing him from realizing his own identity. After being told that he is the murderer of Laius, Oedipus quickly retaliated claiming that Tiresias â€Å"[has] no power or truth† and that his is blind in his â€Å"ear and mind, as well as eyes† (Sophocles 23). Oedipus defensively taunts Tiresias in an attempt to falsify his claims. Tiresias however, sticks to his claim that even though Oedipus â€Å"[has] eyes, he cannot see the evil in which [he] stands† (Sophocles 25). Tiresias highlights the irony in the fact that the great, intelligence and seeing Oedipus cannot recognize his simple fate even though it’s clear to the audience. After discovering his true identity, Oedipus blinds himself because he know no sight â€Å"would bring [him] joy† (75). After deriding Tiresias because of his blindness, Oedipus decides blinding himself â€Å"was the best thing to do† (76) as he knew he could not bear to look his children in the face. Oedipus realizes that sight is not always a blessing or effective in seeing w hat was right in front of him. Initially Oedipus’ hubris blinded him from the truth, but after learning his true identity, he decided to blind himself as punishment, soShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Irony In Oedipus The King827 Words   |  4 PagesThe presence of irony in â€Å"Myth† by Muriel Rukeyser, â€Å"My Oedipus Complex† by Frank O’Connor, and â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles link these three literary pieces together. However, each of the works utilize different forms of irony in different levels to specifically present their message. In Rukeyser’s short poem, the narrator uses verbal irony through Oedipus’ conversation with the Sphinx and dramatic irony through Oedipus’ shorthanded conclusions. O’Connor uses situational irony in his short storyRead MoreTheme Of Dramatic Irony In Oedipus The King1057 Words   |  5 Pagesentire play, Oedipus the king by Sophocles dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when audience i s aware what is happening but the character is not. 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Oedipus has been blinded to the truthRead MoreAnalysis Of Oedipus Oedipus The King 1152 Words   |  5 Pages The theme of sight and blindness is undoubtedly important to notice while reading Oedipus the King. The number of times the words â€Å"see† or â€Å"blind† are in the play make it make it undeniably obvious that they are significant. The theme is developed throughout the dialogue, through characters such as Tiresias and Oedipus, and also directly in the irony of the play. It is important in a play about the truth because almost every character was â€Å"blind† to the truth. All of the characters, except oneRead MoreOedipus: Aristotelian or Formalist Theory772 Words   |  4 PagesTeiresias’s speech at the end of scene one of Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex is fairly short but it is in this encounter between Oedipus and Teiresias where the main conflict of the story begins to unfold. This is a pivotal speech in the play as it helps to develop some of the major themes in the play as well as begin to build up the tragic irony at the center of the story. When this speech is analyzed using either Aristotelian or Formalist theory key elements can be found that are effective inRead MoreOedipus Rex Motifs And Symbols1319 Words   |  6 Pages Oedipus Rex Motifs and Symbols The paths (3 crossroads): Expressed three independent ways Oedipus could have chosen to continue his life, and Oedipus chose the inferior road. Oedipus’s legs: Oedipus’s damaged legs and feet symbolize his painful upbringing. As well as this, it represents his mental health, which is damaged just like his feet. Vision: Oedipus can actually see, while Tiresias is actually blind. Yet, even though he can see, Oedipus is blind enough to not recognize that he killedRead MoreEssay on Sophocles Clever Use of Dramatic Irony in Oedipus the King831 Words   |  4 PagesDramatic irony depends on the audience’s knowing something that the character does not, and in this play the audience knows Oedipus faith before he knows it himself. In this play there are several parts where Sophocles conveys his plot through dramatic irony. Dramatic irony underlines how partial human perceptive can be even when it is most reasonable and how agonizing it can be to be the costs of the misinterpretation, in some sense foreseeable. Dramatic irony is also use by Sophocles to make the