Oedipus_Rex_–_Dramatic_Irony

In Oedipus Rex, there are LOTS of instances of dramatic irony. Throughout almost the whole play Oedipus is kept in the dark about his own life. With different events the people around him slowly realize the truth. It takes Oedipus until the two shepherds are talking about him that he outs two and two together. Tiresias is one of the first people – besides the drunken man – who tells Oedipus about his fate…though he does not do so willingly. The information has to be forced out by Oedipus’s strong words. Tiresias says that he knows the truth but wishes he did not. This is the first ironic part – most people would gather that means that it’s not good news and would at least be more hesitant. But instead Oedipus gets angry and demands to know the truth. Tiresias tells him that he himself is a curse and offhandedly tells him that he will be blind, so not to mock him for not being able to see. After arguing, Tiresias finally tells Oedipus what he knows. He says “the murder of Laius will turn out to be brother and father to his children and both son and husband to his mother.” Now, he doesn’t recognize that this is almost the exact same thing he heard that made him turn away from Corinth so long ago. Just about anyone can see the connection. Oedipus doesn’t believe him but the people of Thebes are a bit tentative. In the end they decide not to believe any of the accusations against Oedipus until they’ve seen evidence. There are a few more events that would lead anyone to finally realize the truth. Like Oedipus’s brother-in-law and uncle (Creon) telling him similar news. But he yet again doesn’t believe it. After Creon, there is the news of Oedipus’s father’s death that makes Oedipus tell Jocasta (his wife…and mother) about what had been prophesized about his life. SHE doesn’t make the connection either that she threw out her own child for the same exact reason. This time Jocasta is the one who doesn’t make him apprehensive. She says that it couldn’t be true since the prophet wasn’t right about her own child, so all prophets were just scams. Finally, both Jocasta and Oedipus realize the truth in nearly the end when two shepherds are forced to tell them what they know. It still takes Oedipus forever to figure it out when Jocasta only needed a few hints. Once the truth is known to all, Oedipus is raging mad and goes after Jocasta to kill her and finds that she had already hung herself. He takes the pins that are holding her dress up and stabs his eyes out – becoming blind.