The Iron Hand of Dramatic Irony
Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus is considered by many scholars to be the most significant masterpiece of Greek drama. Through Oedipus Tyrannus, Sophocles is able to develop and establish dramatic irony, a theatrical device that allows the audience to understand the hidden meanings of the words and actions of the characters, though the characters themselves remain oblivious. Therefore, the behavior of the characters become ironic because they are unable to grasp the reality of the truth that is being unraveled before their eyes. "Dramatic irony may be described as putting into a speaker's (character's) mouth words that have for the audience a meaning not intended by the speaker" ("Dramatic"). Sophocles weaves this device into Oedipus Tyrannus, giving the play a distinct characteristic. He devises a "step-by-step discovery" of the truth (Gould), yielding value for the profound way it is constructed. With the use of dramatic irony, Sophocles incorporates the audience into the play by endowing them with "the divine position of knowing the truth" (Clay 13). A highly established illustration of dramatic irony may be found in Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus, where the character of Oedipus investigates the murder of the previous king of Thebes, only to learn that it is himself who is guilty of committing the crime, a truth known to the audience all along. Thus, Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus has dramatic irony woven into the play from the beginning to the end.
The principal aspect of Sophoclean tragedy that is delicately worked into the play is dramatic irony itself. Sophocles masters the technique of dramatic irony in Oedipus Tyrannus as he entails a second, ominous meaning for nearly every...
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...ut his tragic downfall. The significant use of dramatic irony in the tragedy of Oedipus compels the spectator to be involved emotionally in Oedipus' blind heroic struggles to find the truth. Thus, Sophocles effectively implements the art of dramatic irony through the tragedy of Oedipus Tyrannus.
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Roche, Paul. The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles. The New English Library Limited, London. New York and Scarborough, Ontario. 1958.
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Sophocles. "Oedipus Rex." An Introduction to Literature, 11th ed.Eds. Sylvan Barnet, et al. New York: Longman, 1997.
Even before this story begins, irony is brewing and continues throughout the pages. The creative author is using this enticing technique as a backbone for his play, and also as a key component in foreshadowing the tragic plot. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles is filled with many different ironies, so much so, that this reoccurring element tremendously affects the outcome of the story.
“Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15- to 19-year-olds. In any given year, about 20% of all high school students think of committing suicide; almost 10% try” (Cropper 112). This shocking statistic shows the high risk of suicide among teens, but what some might not know is that the most common form of treatment used to help teens suffering with depression is one that might also increase the risk of suicide and/or harmful actions to oneself. Tricyclic antidepressants such as Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Lexapro are commonly prescribed to adolescents and young adults to relieve symptoms of depression, and they work by either releasing more of the brain’s “happy chemical,” serotonin, in those with clinical depression, or by stopping the release of the brain’s emotional chemicals in those with manic depression (or other diseases such as bipolar disorder) (Silverstein 61). Although antidepressants can have a positive effect on the symptoms of depression, the risk of suicide among those who take it is too high to use as a first option. Suicidal behavior is a serious side effect in teens that are prescribed tricyclic antidepressants; depression should be treated with safer alternatives, such as behavioral treatment or other forms of therapy as opposed to such a “trial and error” approach.
The great Sophoclean play, Oedipus Rex is an amazing play, and one of the first of its time to accurately portray the common tragic hero. Written in the time of ancient Greece, Sophocles perfected the use of character flaws in Greek drama with Oedipus Rex. Using Oedipus as his tragic hero, Sophocles’ plays forced the audience to experience a catharsis of emotions. Sophocles showed the play-watchers Oedipus’s life in the beginning as a “privileged, exalted [person] who [earned his] high repute and status by…intelligence.” Then, the great playwright reached in and violently pulled out the audience’s most sorrowful emotions, pity and fear, in showing Oedipus’s “crushing fall” from greatness.
Sophocles. “Oedipus Rex.” The Heath Introduction to Drama. Ed. Jordan Y. Miller. Toronto: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996. 29-72.
In the play "Oedipus the King" by Sophocles, the author presents us with several instances of dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the meaning of the situation is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play. Dramatic irony plays an important part in "Oedipus the King", because it is used to describe Oedipus' character as arrogant and blind toward the truth. The audience is expected to understand Oedipus' history well before he does. In the first three episodes, Oedipus uses a lot of dramatic irony in his speeches.
“But now-- whose story is more sorrowful than yours?” (Sophocles, line 1210.) The final use of dramatic irony is that no matter how he tries to avoid danger, he finds it waiting for him. “After he left Corinth, at a meeting place of three roads, Oedipus was offended by a man in a chariot. He killed the man and all of his servants but one. From there he went on to Thebes, where he became the new king by answering the riddle of the Sphinx” (Weigel Jr., 1.) The irony doesn 't stop there, however, as the king is so famous for his actions that the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud coined the Oedipus Complex: the instinct of young males to love their mothers and do away with their fathers. The irony of it is that Oedipus did so unaware of his conditions.
Sophocles’ use of symbolism and irony is shown in Oedipus Tyrannus through his use of the notion of seeing and blindness. This common motif is extended throughout the play and takes on a great significance in the development of the plot. In an effort to escape his god given prophecy, Oedipus tragically falls into the depths of unthinkable crimes as a result of the mental blindness of his character; thus never escaping his lot.
Benardete, Seth. “Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus.” In Sophocles: A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by Thomas Woodard. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.
Oedipus is self-confident, intelligent and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his demise. Sophocles makes liberal use of irony throughout “Oedipus the King”. He creates various situations in which dramatic and verbal irony play key roles in the downfall of Oedipus. Dramatic irony depends on the audience’s knowing something that the character does not and verbal irony is presented when there is a contradiction between what a character says and what they mean. Both of these elements are used effectively to develop the tale of Oedipus.