The Use of Irony in OedipusRex
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 loo
" In reality, Tiresias has not lost any of his power; in fact he has more power than Oedipus. 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. 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. In a speech to his people in Thebes he says, " Now my curse on the murderer. Oedipus on the other hand is completely and ironically blind of things into the future. Jocasta, always wanting to be a good wife to her husband Oedipus, repeatedly tries to ease Oedipus' mind about his past, and his destiny. We can however control the circumstances surrounding our lives. Better to live at random, best we can. sing his actual physical, vision, Tiresias has only strengthened his vision of things into the future. Whatever Jocasta said to him only made him feel worse. "The irony of the situation is the blind Tiresias really does see more than the seeing Oedipus. Not just with out physical senses but with our foresight. We must think rationally to evade a nightmarish and out-of-control destiny.
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