Oedipus Rex

Oedipus Rex

Oedipus runs away from the land of Corinth to the land of Thebes because of a godly prediction that one day he shall murder his father and marry his own mother. Oedipus did not know that he was the son of King Laius and Queen Jocasta. As a baby, King Laius and Queen Jocasta commanded a shepherd to pin Little Oedipus’ ankles and place him at the top of a mountain to die. The shepherd instead, gave Oedipus to the messenger of Corinth, and was then given to the king and queen of Corinth. When Oedipus grew older, he traveled to Thebes and met King Laius, still not knowing that was his real father, and killed him. This play is very dramatic and contains many examples of dramatic irony and symbolism and also tragic flaw/tragic hero.

Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the character(s) don’t. Throughout the play Oedipus Rex, there were many examples of dramatic irony. For example, Oedipus tell the people that he is as good as a mortal can get. The truth is that he is not a good person because he murdered King Laius, and he should be the person killed or punished. Another example is when Oedipus told Creon that he has heard about Laius, but he has never seen nor met him before. The audience knows that he has seen Laius before because he killed or murdered him. One last example is when Oedipus states in his speech that he is a “stranger to this tale, as I have been a stranger to this crime.” He is saying that he knows nothing about Laius’ death and doesn’t have a clue or idea who the murder is. The audience knows that he is the murderer and that he has created a lie. Therefore, this shows the reader what kind of character or person Oedipus is, which is a selfish, rude, not truthful and unworthy.

Symbolism is when things are represented by symbols or by what a character says that has a symbolic meaning or significance to an object, event, or relationship. One example is when Teiresias blew off an Oedipus saying, “But I say that you, with both eyes, are blind: You cannot see the wretchedness of your life”( ). It’s a symbol that Oedipus can’t see that soon he will be kicked out of the land because the “double lash’ of his parents. Also during his problems nobody will be helping him and will ignore or may pay no attention to him. Another example is the blind prophet proceeded to tell Oedipus after much pressure that Oedipus is the one who has brought great plague down upon Thebes and that he is the murderer he has sent the residents of the city to find the cast away. Although Teiresias is not blind and he can still see the truth of the emergency. However, Oedipus is blind to the truth and, without delay, began to accuse Teiresias of being involved in a scheme with Creon to remove his power him as king. Oedipus casts insults at Teiresias about his blindness saying “You have no strength, blind in your eyes, your reason and your eyes”( ). Teiresias responds by saying that the insults Oedipus has hurled will before long come back upon him. He also tells Oedipus that what has brought him greatness is the very luck that will ruin him. Teiresias says “Blind who could see, a beggar who was rich, through foreign lands he’ll go and point before him with a stick,” implying that although Oedipus can see the truth now and will eventually blind him and cause him to loose all he has. One last example is after he heard the testimony the herdsman it is perfectly clear to Oedipus that he is pleased the prediction by killing his father and marrying his mother, in turn burning the great hard luck about the city of Thebes. Leading this discovery, along with finding out that Jocasta is also dead, Oedipus blinds himself with some pins from Jocasta’s dress and shouted out that his eyes “would