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Irony in Oedipus the King

Dramatic Irony: Dramatic irony arises when the audition knows more than than a graphic symbol does. In that location is a tremendous amount of dramatic irony in Oedipus the King, particularly in the scenes leading upwardly to Oedipus's recognition of his ain guilt. The mystery at the heart of the play concerns the murderer of the former male monarch Laius. The gods transport a plague to Thebes when they neglect to bury the expressionless king. The play was based on a myth that was familiar to the audience. At that place is also a scene early on in the play in which the prophet Tiresias tells Oedipus, "You yourself are the criminal you seek." For much of the play, the audience either knows or correctly suspects that Oedipus is the murderer for whom he searches.

Irony Examples in Oedipus the King:

Oedipus the King

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"Did any bandit dare so bold a stroke, Unless indeed he were suborned from Thebes?..." See in text(Oedipus the King)

Some scholars liken Oedipus the King to a detective story since the title character attempts to piece together clues about the mysterious inception of the plague. Nonetheless, unlike nearly detective stories, this story is imbued with dramatic irony: while Oedipus attempts to uncover the truth, the audience already knows the answer to the mystery.

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"only I grieve at in one case Both for the full general and myself and y'all...." See in text(Oedipus the King)

Oedipus empathizes with his people, recognizing their pain equally his pain. He makes his life very public and discloses much of his personal information throughout the play with the Theben people. However, Oedipus's try to remain transparent with his subjects and dissolve the separation between his private and public life is an instance of dramatic irony. The audience and reader already know that Oedipus does non truly know himself or the context of his individual life. Thus, this attempt to be open with his people is ironic because it'south a false representation of himself.

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"one thousand hast eyes, Yet see'st not in what misery thou art fallen,..." See in text(Oedipus the Male monarch)

It is ironic that Teiresias, the blind prophet, accuses Oedipus of non being able to see. In this context, Teiresias'southward vision and Oedipus's blindness are metaphorical and concern the domain of truth. This conception of vision equally the chapters to confront truth is one of the play'south central themes. Oedipus will suffer for his ain blindness because of his disability to accept Tiresias'south prophecy.

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"I His blood-avenger volition maintain his cause As though he were my sire,..." See in text(Oedipus the King)

Oedipus's declaration of vengeance for the former king, Laius, is total of dramatic irony. Oedipus intends to avenge Laius "every bit though he were my sire," sire meaning "father." The audience already knows that Laius is his sire. The term "blood-avenger" evokes both Laius's spilled claret every bit well as the biological connection between Oedipus and Laius, to which Oedipus is blind.

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"fell songstress..." See in text(Oedipus the King)

Sophocles does not explicitly name the monster or explicate the story of Oedipus and the Sphinx considering Greek tragedies were based on widely known myths that his audience would be familiar with. This mythos creates a type of inherent dramatic irony as the audition often knows the terminate of the story earlier the play begins. The entertainment in Greek tragedy focuses on how the story unfolds rather than the plot of the story.

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