Oedipus Rex
Irony

Sophocles uses dramatic irony to present the downfall of Oedipus. At the beginning of the story, Oedipus is portrayed as "self-confident, intelligent and strong willed." By the end, it is within these traits that he finds his demise.

One of the most significant instances of irony in this tragedy is when Tiresias hints to Oedipus what he has done; that he has slain his own father and married his own mother (lines 457–60):

To his children he will discover that he is both brother and father. To the woman who gave birth to him he is son and husband and to his father, both, a sharer of his bed and his murderer. Go into your palace then, king Oedipus and think about these things and if you find me a liar then you can truly say I know nothing of prophecies.

The audience knows the truth and what would be the fate of Oedipus. Oedipus, on the other hand, chooses to deny the reality that has confronted him. He ignores the word of Tiresias and continues on his journey to find the supposed killer. His search for a murderer is yet another instance of irony. Oedipus, determined to find the one responsible for King Laius' death, announces to his people (lines 247–53):

I hereby call down curses on this killer... that horribly, as he is horrible, he may drag out his wretched unblessed days. This too I pray: Though he be of my house, if I learn of it, and let him still remain, may I receive the curse I have laid on others.

This is ironic as Oedipus is, as he discovers, the slayer of Laius, and the curse he wishes upon the killer, he has actually wished upon himself. Glassberg (2017) explains that “Oedipus has clearly missed the mark. He is unaware that he is the one polluting agent he seeks to punish. He has inadequate knowledge...”
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