Tragedy of OedipusThe King
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In Sophocles' Oedipus The King, the playwright examines the way in which arrogance and denial can contribute to a man's downfall, as well as the notion that men truly are subject to the whims of fate. Indeed, as a result of his own conceit, the play's titular character finds himself, despite the fact that he has attempted to fight the prophecy that tells of his fate, and exercise free will. Oedipus willingly chooses to ignore what is true, and this ultimately leads to his destruction. In order to illustrate these points, Sophocles relies upon the use of dramatic irony to emphasize the flaws in Oedipus' character, as the audience is aware throughout the play that while Oedipus arrogantly believes he has averted his dire fate, he has in fact walked straight into his destiny. It is this irony that ratchets up the tragedy in Oedipus The King, and renders Sophocles' work truly memorable. From the opening of the play, Sophocles' use of irony is apparent. When the audience first encounters Oedipus, he is addressing a crowd outside the palace about the plague that has befallen Thebes. He has sent Creon, his brother-in-law, to the oracle at Delphi to uncover the source of the plague. The oracle reveals that until the murderer of Thebes' previous king, Laius, is banished from Thebes. Upon hearing the news, Oedipus announces that he will hunt down Laius' killer without mercy in order to save his kingdom, declaring "It falls on me then. I will search and clear/This da
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s dramatic irony, as the audience realizes that instead of escaping his destiny, Oedipus has only run headfirst into the fate that the Gods have set forth for him (Winnington-Ingram 187).
Perhaps the most memorable instance of dramatic irony in Sophocles' play as it pertains to Oedipus' arrogance occurs when Oedipus accuses Creon of treason. After the Oracle's pronounces that Thebes will suffer until the murderer of Laius is revealed, the blind prophet Tireasias names Oedipus as the murderer. Oedipus is infuriated, and suggests that he and Creon have conspired to blame Laius' murder on Oedipus because Creon wishes to overthrow him and ascend to the throne himself. Oedipus declares, "Who thinks to slay his brother with a trick/And suffer not himself, his eyes are blind" (35). Arguably, this is the most strongest moment of dramatic irony in Oedipus the King. Oedipus accuses Creon of inflicting harm upon a family member, not understanding that it is he who killed his own father. Furthermore, he accuses Creon of being 'blind,' when in reality, Oedipus is the one who is unable to see the truth of his situation (Segal 73). It also foreshadows Oedipus' self-blinding at the end of the play, when he muses, "What were mine eye
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Approximate Word count = 1646
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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