CC - II : Dramatic Irony/Tragic Irony in Sophocles' Oedipus the King

 

Sophocles' Oedipus the king is a classic example of dramatic irony. In dramatic irony the words or acts of a character in a play carry a meaning unknown to himself but understood by the audience. In fact, it lies in the contrast between the meaning intended by the speaker and the added significance of which the audience which aware. Dramatic irony which is also called tragic irony usually means a situation in which the character of the play has limited knowledge and says or does something in which they have no idea, whereas the audience already has the knowledge of what is going to occur or what the consequences of the characters, actions will be. Throughout the play, we see several instance of dramatic irony, particularly in the speeches and acts of the protagonist Oedipus.

                     To begin with, the oath that Oedipus makes at the outset of the play to find Laius' killer and to kill him for banish him from the kingdom in order to drive plague out of the Thebes. He exclaims-"we could be saved only by tracking down Laius's  killers only by killing them or sending them to exile". If Oedipus had known in the beginning that he was Laius' killer, she would have never made such an oath. Secondly, when Oedipus approaches Creon and accuses him of being Laius's killer-"what? You here? Murderer!....... When it's clear you've been plotting to murder me and seize the throne of Thebes?..."-shows not only that Oedipus ( the real murderer) is accusing Creon(and innocent one) but he also accuses Creon of wanting to take over the kingdom. The audience knows, but Oedipus does not , that it is crayon who takes over the kingdom in the end because Oedipus proves to be guilty.

                   Thirdly, the scene between Oedipus and the The blind prophet Tiresias fraught with dramatic irony. Tiresias tells the truth that the guilty man (Oedipus) is seeking himself, and that he is living in a sinful union with the one (thereby suggesting his mother -cum-wife Jocasta )he loves. But Oedipus, Totally unaware, is enraged by the accusations and calls Tiresias "a shameless, brainless, sightless and senseless sot '. The irony lies in the fact that Tiresias, though physically blind ,knows the real truth, Whereas Oedipus, despite having eyesight, is totally blind to the truth.

                  Fourthly, in the conversation between Oedipus and his wife /mother Jocasta, When the latter assures the former that the gods are wrong, and while she tells him the story about her baby, whose feet were bound together and left in the mountains, a memory comes to Oedipus's mind. The audience knows at this point that Jocasta is Oedipus's mother, but Oedipus fails to realize the connection.

                              Even early in the play ,Oedipus states that he pities his subjects more than himself -"I grieve for them, for their sorrow and loss, far more than I grieve for myself". These lines foreshadow the pitiful state that Oedipus will find himself in by the end of the play. It emphasizes the fact that Oedipus is wholly unaware of the suffering he will encounter with the loss of his sight, power  and family.

                                       Throughout the play, Oedipus receives information that hints at the possibility that he may be the killer, but remains unaware that the truth will lead to his downfall. The play focuses on the facts that are reveled throughout the play about the murder .Each piece of evidence builds the irony of the play, as the whole truth is not evident until all the facts are accumulated at the end of the play.

      Dramatic irony Typically consists of the main character receiving information which gives a glimpse of the truth. The whole action of the play is built on Oedipus resolving the mystery surrounding the  murdered king Laius. The audience becomes aware that Oedipus is actually damning himself  by vowing to reveal the truth and avenge the slain king-"....by avenging Laius's death ,I protect myself".

              To conclude ,Oedipus the king bristles with dramatic irony .The entire focus of the play is on Oedipus unknowingly condemning himself by demanding to know the truth about the murder of king Laius, but the murderer he seeks is himself. What can be more ironical than this.