The Use Of Irony In Oedipusrex Essay, Research Paper

To the ancient Greeks, once a person s fate was prophesized, it was set in stone. Nothing at all could be done to change it. Anyone who attempted to alter her/his fate would do so in vain. Fate would overcome all in the end. A prime example of these twisted circumstances is displayed in the play Oedipus the King, written by Sophecles. Oedipus was ill fated since birth. His parents were told that he would marry his mother Jocasta, and murder his father, Laius. Laius and Jocasta both tried to change their son s fate. They discovered too late that their effort was meaningless, and their son s fate destroyed them in the end. When Sophecles wrote this play, he infused it with irony of all types. This was done to better develop his theme of predestination. In Sophecles Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, both verbal and dramatic irony are used to better comprehend the twisted circumstances of Oedipus fate.

Situational irony is used throughout the entire play. It is most prevalent in the scenes between Oedipus and Tiresias, the old blind prophet. One would think that because Oedipus has perfectly good eyes he would be able to see more clearly than Tiresias, who is completely blind. This, however, is not the case. In loosing his actual physical, vision, Tiresias has only strengthened his vision of things into the future. Oedipus on the other hand is completely and ironically blind of things into the future. Tiresias makes Oedipus aware his lack of foresight when Oedipus ridicules his blindness. So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this. You with your precious eyes, you re blind to the corruption of your life, to the house you live in, those you live with – who are your parents? Do you know? All unknowing you are the scourge of your own flesh and blood, the dead below the earth and the living here above, and the double lash of your mother and your father s cures will whip you from this land one day, their footfall treading you down in terror, darkness shrouding your eyes that now can see the light (lines 468-479).

The irony of the situation is the blind Tiresias really does see more than the seeing Oedipus. He is completely blind when it comes to seeing the actual truth about himself. In the beginning Oedipus does not understand that is does take actual vision to realize the truth and one s own fate. Oedipus says to Tiresias, …you ve lost you power, stone-blind, stone-deaf,-senses, eyes blind as stone (lines 421-423). In reality, Tiresias has not lost any of his power; in fact he has more power than Oedipus. Oedipus is in fact the blind one. Although the conversations between Oedipus and Tiresias display the best examples of situational irony, discourse between the star-crossed couple Jocasta and Oedipus is a good source of situational irony. Jocasta, always wanting to be a good wife to her husband Oedipus, repeatedly tries to ease Oedipus mind about his past, and his destiny. However, this only slowly brings Oedipus to the sobering information about his fate and his past. When Oedipus is afraid of the fact that he did marry his mother and those terrible thoughts plague his mind, Jocasta tries to reassure Oedipus that he has nothing to fear. Fear? What should a man fear? It s all chance, chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth can see a day ahead, groping through the dark. Better to live at random, best we can. And as for this marriage with you mother – have no fear. Many a man before you, in his dreams, has shared his mother s bed. Take such things for shadows, nothing at all…(lines 1068-1078). Sadly, Oedipus got no reassurance that he was not a victim of his fate. Whatever Jocasta said to him only made him feel worse. Situational irony is used frequently in the play to help illustrate the foolishness of those people who try and control their own destiny.

Verbal irony comes from a complicated knowledge of the contrast between what is and what should be said. Oedipus constantly and indirectly talks about himself whenever he refers to the person who killed the King of Thebes. Unbeknownst to Oedipus, he is the person who killed the King of Thebes. In a speech to his people in Thebes he says, Now my curse on the murderer. Whoever he is, a lone man unknown in his crime or one among man, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step – I cures myself as well…if by any chance he proves to be an intimate of our house, here at my heath, with my full knowledge, may the cure I just called down on him strike me (lines 280-287)! And the curse he called down upon himself did indeed strike him. Oedipus paid the ultimate price; not death but dignity and honor. In the very first scenes of the play when Oedipus and Creon address the people of Thebes about catching the killer of the former King Laius, Oedipus states, I will speak out now as a stranger to the story, a stranger to the crime. If I d been present then, there would have been no mystery, no long hunt without a clue in hand…(lines 241-251). Oedipus announces himself as a stranger to the crime, when in reality, he knows the crime better than anyone else. Whenever he speaks of the killer, he in fact should be talking about himself. In a conversation between Jocasta s brother Creon and Oedipus, Creon alludes to the fact that Oedipus could have in fact killed King Laius, Oedipus ironically declares, Learn your fill, you will never convict me of the murder (lines 643-644). How thoughtless Oedipus was when he said that. He was so naive to believe that he had fully escaped his terrible and sickening fate.

This tragedy epitomizes the foolishness of those who are determined to become masters of their fate. In reality no one can fully control her/his fate. We can however control the circumstances surrounding our lives. We also have the ability to shape our fate if we just open ourselves completely. Not just with out physical senses but with our foresight. We must think rationally to evade a nightmarish and out-of-control destiny. The use of irony in the play helps us to better comprehend what can happen and how to prevent it from happening.