Oedipus Rex

Oedipus: A Dramatic Exercise in Irony

Why is the curse Oedipus invokes upon whoever brought the plague upon the citizens of Thebes ironic?

(Line 260 and following).

Oedipus condemns the man who brought the curse upon the city he leads and loves. Little does he know that he is cursing himself, as his unwitting patricide, marriage to his own mother, and begetting sister-children are the source of the curse upon the city. Although Oedipus was given the kingship because he did away with the curse of the Sphinx, but his unintentionally incestuous actions brought another curse upon the city even worse than the first.

How is the conflict between Teiresias the blind prophet and Oedipus ironic?

Especially line 406 and following where Oedipus accuses Teiresias of blindness.

The king Oedipus is willfully blind to the truth about his life and ruler ship and the source of the plague -- namely that he is the source of the curse, and that the prophet sees the truth. The very state of Teiresias is ironic, as Teiresias is a prophet who is blind yet sees the future clearly. Also, there is an additional irony because Oedipus will blind himself in punishment for his unwitting sins, in hopes he will not see the truth -- although Teiresias always sees the truth all too clearly.

Question

How does the chorus amplify the irony of the play? Please give examples.

The chorus represents the citizens of the city of Thebes. The chorus begins the play in the same knowing place as the king, bemoaning the mysterious plague, but they stay one step ahead of the king ever after, as when they warn him to accept the prophet's knowledge.

Question

What is an example of dramatic irony in the play?

The audience is soon aware that the old man Oedipus killed in the road was his father, but Oedipus is not until the very end.

Question

What is ironic about the ending of the play?

Oedipus, it was prophesied when he was a baby, would kill his father and marry his mother. So he was cobbled by his feet and exposed as an infant. The commoner charged with exposing the prince, however, was childless and took pity upon the babe, and reared the child himself. Oedipus as a young man learned by the same prophesy that he would become a patricide and enter into an incestuous marriage with his mother. So he fled what he thought were his true parents, home, and birth.

Had Oedipus not tried to flee his fate, he would never have met his father the King in the road and killed him in an argument. Had the future king of Thebes not tried to flee his fate he would never have married his mother, as he would never have met the Sphinx and been given the hand of Queen Jocasta as a reward. And he would never have blinded himself, injuring his body as his father tried to kill his own child so many years ago by injuring the baby's foot -- thus resulting in the name of Oedipus 'swollen foot.'