Ryan Truitt

English 102
Mrs. Pettus
11 May 2015
Irony in Oedipus the King
Throughout Oedipus the King, Sophocles uses the literary device irony to
inject comedy, suspense, and engaging content into his play.
Dramatic irony is a type of irony that is understood by the audience,
but not to the characters in the play. In Oedipus the King, dramatic irony is
often used to input humor into the play. In line 60, Oedipus says not one as
sick as I. Here, Oedipus is referring to his grief over the plague that is
affecting his land, but he does not know the true sickness that will wash over
him when he fully understands the situation. Another example of dramatic
irony is when Oedipus casts a curse of evil and wretchedness for the man
who Laios, not fully understanding that he is the murdered.
Verbal irony is a type of irony in which there is a contradiction between
what a speaker says and what they actually mean. In line 250, Oedipus tells
the crowd that he would fight to find Laios murderer just as though I were
his son. Unknown to Oedipus is the fact that Laios is actually his father. In
line 219, Oedipus tells the crowd that a reward will be offered for information
on who killed Laios, but when Theresius comes forward with information for
Oedipus he is verbally attacked and abused. Another instance of verbal irony
occurs when Theresius is trying to reveal the truth to Oedipus. After

informing Oedipus that he is the actual murderer, Oedipus becomes irate and
unbelieving of what Theresius has to say. Theresius then fires back with a
long speech that is full of verbal irony. In line 406, Theresius says that
Oedipus will be forced out of the land with only night upon your precious
eyes. Oedipus might have translated what Theresius said as a prophecy of
him having no belongings when he was forced to leave. Here, Theresius is
actually using verbal irony to say that Oedipus will be physically blind when
he is forced to leave.
The most common type of Irony in Oedipus the King is situational irony.
Situational irony occurs when an action has the opposite effect of the one
intended. After hearing the prophecy that Oedipus would kill his own father,
he ran away from home. Unknowingly, Oedipus arrived right at the home of
his true parents. Another example of situational irony is the actual and
metaphorical blindness of Theresius and Oedipus. Theresius is actually blind,
and in line 399 says, But I say that you, with both your eyes, are blind.
Here, Theresius is referring to Oedipus inability to realize the situation at
hand. This comment by Theresus is an example of situational irony because
once Oedipus fully understands what has happened, he will physically blind
himself. Thus, the circle of metaphorical blindness and actual blindness
between Theresius and Oedipus will be complete.
Irony is used in Oedipus Rex to keep the play interesting to an
audience, build suspense, and add a small amount of humor to this tragedy.
Throughout the story, Oedipus is on a quest to find his true identity. The

answers to his questions are visible to the audience, but not to Oedipus.
Sophocles illustrates these answers, the truth, by making use of dramatic,
verbal, and situational irony. These literary devices create the incredible
journey of Oedipus tragic life.