NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Isn t It Ironic? -Oedipus Rex A traffic jam when you re already late. A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break. Ten thousands spoons when all you need is a knife. Meeting the man of your dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife. Irony is everywhere; you just cannot seem to get away from it no matter where you go. Even back in the day, they used irony to entertain as well as get a point across.
Sophocles used three different types of irony in one of his most famous Greek tragedies, Oedipus the King, to set the tone of the story. As main character and tragic hero, Oedipus, encounters several difficulties and conflicts, the audience is both entertained and informed through this irony that Sophocles has used. Aristotle defined a Tragic Hero as a man who is usually religious and of royalty. He hears that there is a murder to be avenged, and goes to seek the murderer. Sophocles embellishes on Aristotle s definition and adds his own twist. In the case of Oedipus, the murderer he seeks is himself.
Tragic, very tragic. He does not realize what he has done until the very end because his hubris, excessive pride, makes it hard for him to accept that he is the one to be avenged. Dramatic irony is incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play, which happens to be the basic framework of Oedipus the King. Throughout the beginning of the play, Oedipus talks about how he has never seen Laius, will avenge Laius murderer, and about Jocasta, his mother and unknowingly his wife, but Oedipus does not know that. In the beginning, Oedipus gets fired up when the messenger tells him he has to avenge Laius murderer. Oedipus knows [the story of Laius] well by hearsay, for [he] saw him never (Oedipus the King 115).
The audience knows that Oedipus has seen Laius, but Oedipus does not know that; so he did see Laius when he killed him. Oedipus also ironically vows to find this murderer by saying For whoever was the slayer of Laius might wish to take vengeance on me also with a hand as fierce. Therefore in doing right to Laius I serve myself (116). It is known to all but Oedipus that he is the slayer, and the only way the slayer of Laius can kill Oedipus, is for Oedipus to commit suicide. Ironic. Another type of irony is verbal irony, which is identified by an overstatement, an understatement, or a double entendre a word with two meanings.
The plot thickens when Oedipus once again vows his loyalty to Laius by saying, I will uphold this cause even as the cause of my own sire (110). The word sire can mean a father or a king. In Oedipus case, both are the same person Laius, but of course, he does not know that. He is unsure of the murderer, and calls for a blind seer (also ironic) names Teiresias. Teiresias knows that Oedipus is the guilty one, but he does not want to be the bearer of bad news. Eventually Oedipus makes Teiresias mad, and Teiresias tells him that You blame my temper but do not see that to which you yourself are wedded (121).
What Teiresias means is that Oedipus does not realize what trouble he has gotten himself into, but also that he has killed his father, Laius, and wedded his mother, Jocasta. Ironic. Situational irony is described as the irony of fate; Oedipus versus Apollo. Throughout the story Oedipus and Jocasta try to outsmart the gods, but in the end they learn that it is impossible. Oedipus even says no man on the earth can force the gods to what they will not (119). Oedipus is wise in saying this, but he does not really believe that what the gods saw is credible.
When Jocasta decides to pray to one of the gods for Oedipus to calm down, she prays to the nearest shrine Apollo s. She says, Since I can do no good by counsel, I have come to you, Lean Apollo, for you are nearest (134). She prays to this god for help even though her and Oedipus do not believe his prophecies. Ironic.
Sophocles lived in a time where the young people were getting the same ideas that Jocasta and Oedipus had; they were beginning to disbelieve the prophecies of the gods. Sophocles wanted to scare those young people straight, so he wrote this play. It probably worked because of his intense use of irony. Irony is a powerful thing. Like rain on your wedding day. A free ride that you ve already paid for.
Some good advice that you just did not take. Isn t it ironic? Works Cited Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Greek Drama.
Ed. Moses Has. New York: Bantam, 1965, 113 - 49. 33 f
Free research essays on topics related to: oedipus, oedipus the king, isn t, tragic hero, young people
Research essay sample on Oedipus The King Tragic Hero
