Tragedy is an unescapable abyss that not only haunts heroes, but also the common man. In the play “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles tells the story of Oedipus, who strives to defy his prophecy, to ultimately show that fate is predestined and cannot be avoided. Upon hearing his destiny, he ignorantly puts the foretelling aside and suffers from dramatic irony as well as elements of astonishment and great change throughout the play. Thus, “Oedipus the King” is a prime example of a tragedy with the countless upbringings of tragic irony as well as Oedipus’ portrayal as a tragic hero, both of which support the general theme of established fortune. This play is labeled a tragedy because of the clear and definite examples of tragic hero qualities that
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Sophocles’ use of dramatic irony is accumulated from the very beginning of the play. Oedipus, to convince and assure the people of Thebes of their safety following the unspeakable wrath of the death-wrenching plague that had scoured upon the land, claims to fight for the late King Laius “as [he] would for [his] own father” (KO 33). Oedipus, without knowing the truth of his ancestry, makes a comment that would showcase his naïve nature when it comes to this topic. He declares that he will fight for Laius as if he were his own son, but what he does not realize is, ironically, Laius is his actual, biological father and without any idea of what ant pile he is stepping in, he says such words that will result in his end which adds to the comedic sense on the audience’s side during this unspeakable tragedy. Furthermore, after Oedipus hears his prophecy of the gods, which alleges that he would “marry [his] mother… and kill [his] father” (KO 47), from the Oracle of Delphi, he escapes from his fears, “putting the stairs/Between [him] and Corinth” (KO 47) so that no such horror could ever take effect. Though against his will, Oedipus flees his home of Corinth to prove his fate and the word of god incorrect. His ignorance obscures the fact that destiny is written the day of a being’s birth and by leaving Corinth and going to Thebes, he is fulfilling his omen of marrying his mother and murdering his father. The audience, once again, feels the comedic side of the awe-striking irony placed so well by Sophocles to reiterate Oedipus’ foolishness. Moreover, after hearing the news of his adoptive father, Polybus’ passing, Oedipus is still afraid that the rest of the prophecy will play out and discusses the situation with Jocasta saying, “while [his mother] lives… /[he] cannot cease to fear” (KO 52) the possibility of
Sophocles’ use of dramatic irony is accumulated from the very beginning of the play. Oedipus, to convince and assure the people of Thebes of their safety following the unspeakable wrath of the death-wrenching plague that had scoured upon the land, claims to fight for the late King Laius “as [he] would for [his] own father” (KO 33). Oedipus, without knowing the truth of his ancestry, makes a comment that would showcase his naïve nature when it comes to this topic. He declares that he will fight for Laius as if he were his own son, but what he does not realize is, ironically, Laius is his actual, biological father and without any idea of what ant pile he is stepping in, he says such words that will result in his end which adds to the comedic sense on the audience’s side during this unspeakable tragedy. Furthermore, after Oedipus hears his prophecy of the gods, which alleges that he would “marry [his] mother… and kill [his] father” (KO 47), from the Oracle of Delphi, he escapes from his fears, “putting the stairs/Between [him] and Corinth” (KO 47) so that no such horror could ever take effect. Though against his will, Oedipus flees his home of Corinth to prove his fate and the word of god incorrect. His ignorance obscures the fact that destiny is written the day of a being’s birth and by leaving Corinth and going to Thebes, he is fulfilling his omen of marrying his mother and murdering his father. The audience, once again, feels the comedic side of the awe-striking irony placed so well by Sophocles to reiterate Oedipus’ foolishness. Moreover, after hearing the news of his adoptive father, Polybus’ passing, Oedipus is still afraid that the rest of the prophecy will play out and discusses the situation with Jocasta saying, “while [his mother] lives… /[he] cannot cease to fear” (KO 52) the possibility of