Irony in Oedipus Rex

Throughout Oedipus Tyrannus is a constant theme of dramatic irony relating to vision and seeing. These are two separate subjects, but, along with knowing, their connections in meaning allow for especial depth and irony in the use of any one of them. It is also obvious that Sophocles takes advantage of this fact in his usage of the Greek words, as they are significantly more interchangeable in the Greek than in the English. A large part of their meaning depends on the person's situation who says them and who receives them, whether it is between characters or characters and the audience. Thus the tension and even more emotion from the audience is achieved and allowed to build until the climax and resolution. In the case of Oedipus, it is not until he realizes his fate and begins the process of accepting it that both he and the audience are at an equal level of understanding. That is, the dramatic irony is resolved.

The first instance of irony of this sort we see is very subtle, lines 37-43, when the priest is praising Oedipus for his success with the sphinx. The priest addresses Oedipus' special knowledge, emphasizing that it was not knowledge from the people of Cadmus that brought him to the riddle's answer, but sure from a God or some other man. Either way, their respect for Oedipus' great ability to see the truth is what brings them to him in supplication. Here the word ἔξοιδα is used to refer to Oedipus' knowledge, but not οἰ̂δα, as is used later between him and Tiresias. The former implies a deeper and more thorough knowledge than what we say in English is to know, as if Oedipus completely understood what he was interpreting, but does not 'see' as Tiresias does. For the audience witnessing this, we know that the only possible guidance Oedipus has had is nudges from the Gods, which he is unaware of, that helped him along towards his fate. So, he is being praised for a near-divine wit, while he thinks he has accomplished all this on his own, and thus becomes more and more confident and proud. Meanwhile, the audience knows primarily that this grandeur will not last much longer, but also that it is actually Oedipus' lack of knowledge and inability to understand and believe things about himself that will bring about this tragic downfall.

Later, when Creon returns from the Oracle, he relays to Oedipus that what one looks for can be found, but what one neglects escapes. This is very significant because we know that Oedipus is soon to be pulled between those two options, of looking and finding by his own curiosity and demand for knowledge, and of ignoring the situation as prompted by Tiresias, Jocasta, and the shepherd.

The next and most dramatic instance of this irony, seeing and knowing and not, is when Tiresias comes to Oedipus. Oedipus, seeking insight to the curse upon the city, sends for the blind prophet Tiresias. This is not an unusual symbol for the Greeks, oftentimes we have read of the relationship between vision and knowledge- aside from Tiresias, we have also encountered the bard in Homer's Odyssey and Cassandra in Agamemnon. Oedipus meets Tiresias and begins praising him, imploring him to reveal the solution and cure for the city. But, he quickly becomes angered at Tiresias' negative attitude and despondency and beings insulting him.

A fascinating section here is 337-339. Tiresias tells Oedipus, you find fault with my temper, but you have not seen your own that lives with you, and you blame me. I wonder what Tiresias is referring to here- he speaks of Oedipus' temper, and the dramatic irony there is in the fact that that very temper brought Tiresias to say these things to him, and was also the cause of Laius' murder, which we understand and recall at this scene, but Oedipus, I believe, does not. But Tiresias also says that the temper is living with Oedipus- could this be him pointing out that Oedipus has lost his temper even at that very moment, or making a reference to Oedipus' current familial situation , in that the consequences of his temper towards Laius are still living with him in Jocasta and his daughters. Either way, the audience recognizes this allusion and further irony is created between them and Oedipus, as he grows even angrier and continues to direct insults at Tiresias.

He says that Tiresias, an oracle, could not solve the riddle of the sphinx, but that he, Oedipus, seeing nothing from birds or gods, could and did. Another question rises from the irony here; why was Tiresias unable to, or chose not to answer the riddle? I believe that Tiresias chose not to face the question intentionally, because, even if he did not know that it was a part of Oedipus' fate, it did not seem like something of his concern to solve but rather something for average men and travelers. But then again, if it was paralyzing the city, it seems that it would have been his business, as the oracle, to solve it. But perhaps he did not have the answers because, as I assume, it was fated for only Oedipus to answer. Here, at line 397, HHHHHerhSophocles uses the word οἰ̂δα, which has the implications of seeing, I assume in the prophetic sense.

Oedipus then insults Tiresias' physical blindness and attributes his supposed 'prophetic blindness' to that handicap. This must be ironic for both Tiresias and the audience, who know that soon Oedipus, too, will be blind and left to wander the earth. Even more ironically, Oedipus seemed to know so well the answer to the sphinx, that of a child crawling on four legs, a young man walking on two, and then an old man crutched on three. But, he is ignorant in relating this to his own life and realizing that he, too, may lose some of his grandeur and spotless dignity. But, this will show itself soon enough. Sophocles touches on this ego and curiosity of Oedipus' once more, allowing him one more chance to forget his search. I had not noticed this before, but now it seems especially significant, first in that it directly follows Oedipus' conversation with Tiresias, which is full of dramatic irony. Also, it is at the point, I believe, right before he begins to come into awareness. Creon says to him in line 569, 'When I do not understand, I like to say nothing.' But, as the audience expects, Oedipus misses this wise suggestion also and continues in his accusations and search for explanations.

From this point, we see Oedipus go through a series of recognitions from Jocasta, the messenger, and then the shepherd, that show him the full depth of misery he is actually in. Sophocles no longer gives through Oedipus boastful promises, innocent references, insults, or anything else to increase the dramatic irony in this sense. Because, Oedipus is not only aware of his situation, but also of what a fool he made of himself in all of those other instances. It seems that everyone else knows his fate long before Oedipus, in which case I think it is rather cruel of Sophocles to allow him such egotistical bursts, only to have those exact qualities that he boasts of stripped from him in front of everybody. But, by the time he speaks with the shepherd, Oedipus knows all of this and immediately turns his attention to punishing himself for it all. He decides that the only possible punishment for him can be to put his eyes out. I wonder if this is necessary. I do not doubt its relevance, but the fact that there are a hundred different ways Oedipus could have punished himself and blinding is the one chosen convinces me that there was special significance meant in this trend. This irony I have pointed out is the most prevalent and multi-leveled in the play, perhaps because it is based on the fate of Oedipus. However, as far as I know the fate was simply that he would kill his father and marry his mother, and did not include what would happen to him afterwards. Actually, he could have received a punishment for this at any point, but what seems more important is the story of his realization of it. Because that is where the bulk of the play is, without which there would be no allusions to the opposite ends of his life- the actions of his fate and his reaction to them. It is in the time between that this becomes a tragedy, through the dramatic irony provided by Sophocles.