How Does Sophocles use Dramatic Irony in the first two scene

At the beginning of Oedipus the King, Oedipus is hugely confident, and with good reason. He had saved Thebes from the curse of the Sphinx and has become king virtually overnight. He proclaims his name proudly as though it were itself a healing charm: "Here I am myself, you all know me, the world knows my fame, I am Oedipus." Oedipus has successfully built up his character to a degree that failure would be a considerable downfall, with not only embarrassment but also a loss of pride and self worth. He asks the people of Thebes to look to him as their saviour, as once before he had saved them. Of course we as the audience can see the irony: the Theban people posed in a desperate situation put their faith in this character, which adds to a greater shock to his people, mislead and betrayed by the one person they put they put their hope in.

An instance of dramatic irony takes place in the scene in which Oedipus plausibly but mistakenly believes Creon to have conspired to portray him as a suspect of Liaus’s murder. He believes Creon has the intention of having him expelled from the city and so that he can take over the kingship. He tells Creon that a man is a fool if he thinks that he can sin against his kinfolk and escape the wrath o

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But later, we see that Oedipus's habit of acting swiftly has a dangerous side. Eyesight and insight in these plays form an ironic combination with the references to literal and metaphorical blindness. Yet the people accept, even long for, this language from their king. The audience know more than the hero does and they would like to warn him to avoid his terrible destiny. As a reader I sympathise with the character who has blissfully fallen into tragedy without his knowledge.

References to eyesight and vision are used as a metaphor for knowledge and insight. He lies ignorant that by killing the traveller he met at the three cross roads – he was murdering his own father King Liaus, and by marrying Jocasta - thereby committing incest with his mother. They know the facts about Oedipus' parricide and incest, and also the fact that Oedipus remains unaware whilst also being aware that these transgressions will eventually be revealed before all of Thebes, and that Oedipus will suffer as a consequence. This is especially true at the beginning of the drama, as he had solved the Sphinx's riddle. He is notably harsh on the punishments he has planned to the eventual villain. Here, Oedipus' bold actions seem to be a blessing, a special gift from the gods used to benefit the city as a whole. When he tells the story of killing the band of travellers who attempted to shove him off the three-way crossroads, Oedipus shows that he has the capacity to behave rashly. Oedipus is portrayed as a tyrant; the peoples' greatest blessing has become their worst curse. Since the gods don't seem to give them aid, they place their hopes in Oedipus, this noble hero who has saved Thebes in the past and pledges to save it again.

Approximate Word count = 1245
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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