Dramatic Irony In Sophocles Oedipus The King

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Throughout history, drama has been a vehicle to entertain, instruct, and inform the general public. Dramatic irony, when the audience understands what will transpire but the characters do not, create suspense that enthrals the audience. Universal characters, those which mirror the average person, further enhance the reader’s understanding. The transmission of universal themes, age-old messages, entertains the audience through learning. A drama’s entertainment value is its capability to hold an audience’s attention and impart meaningful messages. In Sophocles’s Oedipus the King, dramatic irony, universal characters, and universal themes are integral in affirming the entertainment value of the drama. Due to the common plot line that Oedipus the King follows, dramatic irony is created for the reader. When Oedipus begins to exhibit hubris, the reader can predict the coming of até and nemesis if the course of the …show more content…

Through Oedipus’s journey of first pride by having wisdom that brings “...no profit to its possessor”(20), and then his detriment, the reader learns not to let pride get the best of herself. This method of instruction entertains the audience by showing what happens when one falls of the rickety wagon of life. By Oedipus’s attempt, and later failure, to ignoring the prophecy, the audience learns of the dangers of cheating fate. Themes are easily made entertaining through the journey that the character experienced; the audience gets satisfaction from discerning the themes that the drama weaves in. Far from being a lecture, the universal themes in Oedipus the King create an extra layer of entertainment. A truly entertaining drama not only has an interesting plot, but additional, subtle factors that snake in and entertain the audience. This entertainment does not have to be funny or lighthearted; rather, a significant impact is just as

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