The Signifigance of Irony Metaphor and Reverasal of Situation in Oedipus Rex
The Signifigance of Irony, Metaphor, and Reverasal of Situation in Oedipus RexOedipus Rex is a tragedy of a man who attempts to flee a prophecy out of fear of what the future may hold for him, and in doing so blindly falls straight into his tragic fate. The use of literary devices in this play such as irony, metaphor, and reversal of situation in this play help to weave Sophocles' masterpiece tragedy in to a work of art to be appreciated for centuries to come. The literary artwork of Oedipus Rex makes it a tragedy honorable of the title "perfection". As these threads of literary devices join together throughout the play, they weave the magnificent tapestry of Oedipus Rex.In the play Oedipus Rex, there are many hints of irony laced throughout this tragic play. The plot of the play in itself is ironic: Oedipus' goal in the play is to find the source of the plagues haunting Thebes, a search which ironically leads to the main hunter, himself. Many of these threads of irony are found in the third scene of the play. For example, in the beginning of scene three, Iokaste begins the scene by presenting a prayer to the Gods to help her land in this time of turmoil. In these opening lines, Iokaste observes that the "king is not himse
In this part of the play, Iokaste is only referring to Oedipus' mood. Another thread of ironyTo add color to the Oedipus Rex tapestry, Sophocles adds to his play the threads of metaphor. He is very persistent in the inquiry and finally comes to the horrible truth that he himself is the murderer. Anything and everything that Oedipus was at the beginning of the play he is by act of fate not at the end of the play. This is a metaphor for Oedipus when he reaches adulthood and leaves Corinth to escape the oracle. What she does not know is that another family found him, and raised him, and he is now the man that she has married in Laius' absence. Oedipus meets up with a band of travelers and in a rage kills them. Ironically, Oedipus is actually extremely unlucky as he blindly follows a path that he thinks will lead him away from his predestined fate. He depends solely on others for his nourishment and well-being. Also man is at his weakest as a small child. The Sphinx posed the following riddle to all who came to obtain the rule of Thebes: "What is it that walks on 4 feet and 2 feet and 3 feet and has only one voice, when it walks on most feet it is the weakest?" Oedipus correctly answered "Man" and became the king of Thebes. Oedipus was the weakest of his life at this point. In reality, this path only leads him directly to it. If it has not been for the Shepard sparing his life and giving him to Polybus to raise as his own Oedipus would have died. After a more intense look at the play, it is understandable why Aristotle could call a play so great a "perfect tragedy".
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