Oedipus the King

Introduction

Oedipus Rex is a play written by Sophocles. It tells the story of Oedipus, a hapless prince of Thebes, son of Laius and Jocasta. Shortly before marrying Laius and Jocasta, the oracle of Delphi warned that the child they had would be a murderer of his father and husband of his mother. Laius was afraid, and when Oedipus was born, they instructed to kill the child, but he does not comply with the order to kill Oedipus, just pierced the baby's feet and hung on a leash from a tree located on Mount Cithaeron, failing in his loyalty to King Laius and the horror that gave him the order he had given.

Then Oedipus married Jocasta and lived happily for many years, taking several children whose names are: Eteocles, Polynices, Antigone and Irmene. One day there was a great plague that struck the region without having any remedy, and the oracle of Delphi reported that such a calamity would disappear only when the murderer of Laius was discovered and cast out of Thebes. Oedipus researched thoroughly encouraged as a good king who was but they discovered what had really happened: he had killed Laius, his father and married Jocasta, his mother. This paper will discuss the theme of the dramatic irony 'fate' to explain how fate is used in the story and how it has been linked with the characters and the story of the play.

Use of dramatic irony to build to a climax as theme unfolds in Oedipus the King

In the play Oedipus the King Sophocles has made very attractive ideas to make a climax as a theme through dramatic irony. Making of a climax is a very difficult thing as it all needs to carry a follow up with the theme of the play. In the play Oedipus the king Sophocles has played a wonderful role in order to mould the story and gave the story the touch of dramatic irony. In the story of Oedipus the King, fate plays an important role. This can be confirmed with the fact that all the main characters of the play are seemed to be engaged to gain the fate.

In the article, From Sophocles' Oedipus The King, Fagles (pp. 55) explains the theme as the fate as the dramatic irony. It has so much effectively that it brought out a wonderful climax as the theme of the play. For example, the fight between Laius and Jocasta against fate in order to abandon the child is the main example of climax through the dramatic irony which is presented as the theme of the play. The couple of Laius and Jocasta engaged in a lot of confrontation but besides this birth of the child happened and that child became Oedipus. This is a major dramatic irony which resulted in climax of the story.

In the article, Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Green (pp. 2) explains the theme with a lot of examples in the play of Sophocles, Oedipus the king. He says that ...