The Dramatic Irony of Oedipus the King

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It is said that one of lifes greatest lessons is humility. This lesson becomes one of the most predominant themes in the drama of Oedipus the King. Oedipusings this fate upon himself as he is enraged at Laius death and blindly unfolds his doom upon himself. In this story, which reminds us of all the times that we should have kept our mouths shut, the reader is given many images of what is to come that the characters are not aware of.

There is a plague in the city of Thebes which, according to Creons report from the gods, has beenought upon the inhabitants due to the murder of Laius. In Oedipus great concern for the well being of the people of Thebes, he is destined to find the criminal guilty of the offense. In a first attempt to solve the unknown he makes this address

"I will speak out now as a stranger to the story, a stranger to the crime. If Id been present then,

there would have been no mystery, no long hunt

without a clue in hand. [ . . . ]

if any one of you knows who murdered Lauis,

the son of Labdacus, I order him to reveal

the whole truth to me. (48 56)

Without knowing that he is the one at fault, Oedipus demands the offender to make himself known that he might escape having to be chased and receive even greater punishment. Needless to say, Oedipus impatience intensely grows as no one replies to his request.

In Oedipus eagerness to find the culprit he becomes irritated by the silences that respond to his calls. He even offers a reward for information on whether or not the murderer is from a foreign land or is local, yet there is no reply. In the adrenaline of the situation, he begins to explicitly threaten the perpetrator with what will happen to him if he remains quiet

Banish this man-

whoever he may be - never shelter him, never

speak a word to him, never make him partner

to your prayers, your victims burned to the gods.

Never let the holy water touch his hands.

Drive him out, each of you, from every home.

He is the plague, the heart of our corruption,

as Apollos oracle has revealed to me

just now. (70 78)

The story becomes even more suspenseful in knowing that Oedipus is sentencing himself to this punishment and is ignorant about it. He continues explaining that if the criminal is someone close to him, "May the curse I just called down on him strike me!" which greatly foreshadows his future (87).

Another issue that is fueling Oedipus fire to find the guilty party is his respect for Laius. He recognizes how their bonds with Jocasta have made them close; however, he does not know just how close. Oedipus declares, "So I will fight for him as if he were my father," and in fact he was (01). He continues to curse the murderer not knowing it is himself saying

Oh dear gods, my curse on those who disobey these orders!

Let no crops grow out of the earth for them-

shrivel their women, kill their sons,

burn them to nothing in this plague

that hits us now, or something even worse. (06 11)

Oedipus hopes are that his terrorizing will scare the murderer into admitting to their actions, yet his efforts are in vain for he is only defining his very fate.

There are many instances of dramatic irony given to the reader throughout the drama of Oedipus the King, especially in the threats from Oedipus to the supposed culprit. It is saddening to know that Oedipus could have evaded his fate from the very beginning had he not been so greatly pressed by being told that he would kill his father. Oedipus is shown to be a good, noble person and so sympathy is earned from his onlookers in the event of his tragic fate.

Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." Literature and the Writing Process. Elizabeth McMahan, Susan X Day, and Robert Funk. 6th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ Prentice, 00. 787-8.

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