IRONY IN OEDIPUS

IRONY IN OEDIPUS
The irony is the use of words in a story to bring out a meaning that is the exact opposite of the literary meaning. It is a technique of showing an intention that is contrary to what is stated through the development of the plot or character. There are three categories of irony; Dramatic irony occurs when the audience has more knowledge of happenings in the story than one or more characters; Situational irony occurs when the expected outcome is different from what happens; Verbal irony happens when intended meaning of a phrase is different from what the words express in reality. Oedipus Rex is a Greek play that uses characters the audiences already know. The King in the story is tragic, and his tragedies lead to his downfall.
Dramatic irony can be seen in many instances in the play. Oedipus unknowingly kills his father King Laius and married his mother; the audience is aware of this. The city of Thebes is worried about the attack of a plague, and the citizens turn to their king to seek help. The people and even Oedipus himself don’t realize that he is the reason behind the curse disturbing the city. The plague is disturbing the city because the former king’s murderer was not arrested and punished. King Oedipus gets this information from an Oracle and says that the murderer should be dispelled. This is dramatic irony because even though the audiences know that Oedipus is the murderer of King Laius, he is not aware of that. He does not also realize that he is cursing himself thinking he is cursing the king Laius murderer.

Another example of dramatic irony is when Oedipus tells Teiresias that he is blind. Teiresias is angered and tells the King that he is the one who is blind and cannot see the truth. When Oedipus becomes blind, he realizes the truth of Teiresias’s words. Oedipus has a solution to the Sphinx riddle disturbing the City of Thebes, but he cannot solve the riddle caused by his existence.
Situational irony occurs in the story when Oedipus hears the prophecy and escapes from what he thinks is adoption. He goes to the city of his real parents, in reality, Oedipus is escaping from his real parents. On his journey to the city, he meets King Laius and murders him, Oedipus is forced to marry the Queen, Jocasta. The city of Thebes is attacked by plague as a punishment for incest because the Queen was Oedipus’s birth mother; this is another example of situational irony.
Verbal irony is depicted when the King orders that the murderer of King Laius be arrested and punished not knowing that he was the slayer. When Creon states that Oedipus was the killer, he points the finger at Creon for falsely accusing him so that he would become the next king. Creon tells him that he is not interested in the king’s position; this is also an example of verbal irony. Another example is when the king ridicules the soothsayer that he is blind, but Oedipus is also blind and senseless to the truth of his actions. Oedipus also explains that flee from his parents to avoid the mysterious prophecy that would make him kill his father and marry his mother. He was not aware that he was adopted and his birth parents were King Laius and Jocasta.
Sophocles uses the different instances of irony in the play to portray the failure of the King from when he took the thrown. He is not aware of most of the thing happening and is blind to the truth from his actions. The consequences of his action are severe, and everyone suffers because of him. As expected of a King, he should have been a leader of integrity and humility.