Oedipus the King is a Greek tragedy written by Sophocles. Sophocles knowing that his audience is aware of the outcome of the play utilizes that knowledge to create various situations in which dramatic irony play key roles. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows the tragic truth before the characters do. Through his use of irony Sophocles manages to avoid retelling an old tale, though the audience is cognizant of the story's end they are intrigued by the irony present in the story. Sophocles made liberal use of irony. By doing this he tantalized the viewer into wanting to see how the events that occurred later would mentally affect the main character, in this case Oedipus.
     Oedipus is self-confident, intelligent, and strong willed. Ironically these are the very traits which bring about his tragic discovery. Because of these traits Oedipus was able to solve the riddle given to him by the Sphinx. When this riddle was solved he acquired great popularity and power. He was then challenged into a riddle of his own where he had to find out the truth of his past and the fate of his future. By solving this riddle he lost all the power and glory, left to be exiled and become a beggar in another land.(Friedland) If Oedipus had not been so determined to escape and prevent the prophecy by the Oracle, he would not have fulfilled it. Possibly, he was doomed to fulfill the prophecy because he believed he could avoid it. Nevertheless, his fate was sealed by his actions of pride and determination. His pride of conquering the Sphinx led him to the marriage of Jocasta, his mother. When avenging Jocasta's previous husband, and his true father, King Laius' death, he was blinded by his pride to the concept that perhaps he was the murderer.
     Two of the most note worthy parts of Dramatic Irony in Oedipus the King are how both Jocasta and Oedipus are trying to change the prophecy of the Oracle. In both cases, the Oracle's prophecy comes true regardless of the characters' actions. Jocasta and Laius's thought of successfully killing their child at birth so the Oracle's prophecy could not happen and Oedipus's believing that if he fled Corinth, he would not be able to kill his father. Jocasta kills her son only to find him alive and married to her. Oedipus leaves Corinth only to find that in doing this he has found his real parents and carried out the oracle's words. Oedipus strongly believes that he has beaten the prophecy, only to find that the oracles were right after all. Even the manner in which Oedipus and Jocasta express their disbelief in the Oracle is ironic. In an attempt to comfort Oedipus, Jocasta tells him that the Oracle is powerless; yet at the beginning of the very next scene we see her praying to the same gods whose powers she has just mocked. Each time a character tries to avert the future predicted by the oracles, the reader or the audience knows their attempt will fail. When Oedipus pronounces his curse upon the head of King Laius's murderer he has already unwittingly judged himself, and to the excitement of the crowd foreshadowed later events to come. In it, Oedipus, thinking that he is directing his pronouncement upon some bandit, or conspirator, in all actuality he is truly condemning himself. Further examples of irony include his speech when he first answers the chorus "Now my curse on the murderer. Whoever he is, a lone man unknown in his crime or one among many, let that man drag out his life in agony, step by painful step- I curse myself as well...”(399) The irony in this line is that the murdered King Laius is his father and he has called the curse down upon himself.
           Dramatic Irony is also played out in terms of Oedipus circle of blindness. In the beginning of the play, Oedipus has perfect physical vision.(Roche) However, he is blind and ignorant to the truth about himself and his past. He desperately wants to know, to see, but he cannot. At this point, it is obvious what Oedipus's action must be to overcome the blindness. All of his actions thereafter are to that end. Ironically, into the play is introduced a prophet, Teiresias, who is physically blind, but who is clairvoyant. When Teiresias says “I say you are the murderer you hunt.”(402) it reaffirms Oedipus as a man ignorant to the true appearance of things - this blind man can "see" the truth about Oedipus, yet Oedipus, in all of his physical perfection, can not. Toward the end of the play, it is shown how Oedipus learns the true nature of things, his past is revealed to him and he learns that the oracle was correct. Now Oedipus has gone full circle: he can see clearly what the truth is, but he desperately does not want to accept his fate. So, in response, Oedipus blinds himself so that he may not see. He didn't want to accept the situation the way he "saw" it, and decided instead not to see it at all. This would provide as dramatic irony since while he could see physically he could not "see" the truth, whereas when he blinded himself he knew the full truth of what the oracles had said.

     Dramatic irony is called that for a reason. It causes one to have a marked increase in tension and concern for the characters of the play.(Toscan) Sophocles successfully attained his objective in "Oedipus the King" through the use of dramatic irony. Many people have hailed "Oedipus the King" as the perfect tragic play due to the style Sophocles used. Many individuals believe that tragedies cause one to question every aspect of life, which would explain why many of the plays were written in this time frame. Works Cited

Friedland, Ed. Enjoying “Oedipus the King”, by Sophocles. 2 Feb. 2002
     <http://www.pathguy.com/oedipus.htm>


Roche, P. Sophocles. Oedipus The King in the Oedipus Plays of Sophocles.
     New York: Mentor Books. 1996.


Toscan, Richard. The Playwriting Seminars: The Full Length Play.
     1995-1996. <http://www.vcu.edu/artweb/playwriting/irony.html>