Marvin Alhaddad, Period 5, 12/9/20, Day B

Marvin Alhaddad
12/9/20
Period 5
Modern Mythology 2021


In the most recent reading of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, we witness the unfolding of the remainder of the plot at an extremely fast pace. All the events that occurred prior to this reading served to amplify the effects that the climax would have on both the characters and us as the readers. When the herdsman is brought by the messenger and recognizes who Oedipus is, he immediately refuses to answer, just like Teiresias at the beginning of the play. Even when Oedipus has his servants twist the herdsman’s hands behind his back, he tries to avoid making the truth known for everyone’s sake. After it is revealed that all the prophecies did in fact come true, Oedipus’ veil of hubris and ignorance that hid the truth from him is finally lifted. Shortly after, a second messenger arrives and makes it known that Jocasta killed herself and that Oedipus gouged his eyes out after finding her dead. Oedipus emerges from the palace begging to be exiled from Thebes, in which Creon obliges.

All throughout the play, there is dramatic, situational, and verbal irony that strengthen the role that peripeteia and anagnorisis play, and which all contribute to the ultimate tragedy of Oedipus and make it especially appealing. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the characters are unaware of, and tragedies mainly build themselves on the use of dramatic irony. For Oedipus, this comes in many forms, such as during his long speech to the citizens of Thebes, cursing the murderer of Laius when, in fact, the audience realizes he is actually cursing himself. Situational irony is when the outcome of an event is different than what is expected. When Oedipus goes to the oracle at Delphi and is told that he will kill his father and sleep with his mother, he leaves Corinth to get as far away from Polybus and Merope who he thought were his parents. Meanwhile, he ends up running straight to his real parents, Laius and Jocasta, whom he kills and sleeps with, fulfilling the prophecies given to him and Laius. Verbal irony is similar to situational irony, but happens through speech. A good example of verbal irony in the play is when Oedipus says, "… and had his line not been unfortunate we would have common children… because of all these things, I fight for his defence as for my father…” (Lines 261-4) The irony in this statement comes in two forms back to back because Laius and Oedipus do have common children, just not in the way he was thinking of it, and he is fighting for his defence as though Laius was his father because he was.

The many instances of irony embedded throughout the play create a greater sense of pity in the audience leading up to the climax of the plot, as Oedipus only seems capable of making his downfall worse. We see this happen during the peripeteia and anagnorisis. The peripeteia comes first when the messenger tells Oedipus that he doesn’t need to worry about sleeping with his mother because Polybus and Merope aren’t his real parents. Up to this point, Oedipus has only managed to prove his hubris, arrogance, and disbelief in the oracles’ prophecies. Just before this, Oedipus and Jocasta were rejoicing at the news that Polybus had died, thinking for certain that the prophecies were false. The messenger’s statement marks a sudden reversal of Oedipus’ fate. Following this is the anagnorisis, when Oedipus realizes that everything has come full circle after the herdsman arrives and confirms that Jocasta was the one who gave him baby Oedipus.

Tragedy comes about as a result from a hero’s fatal flaw. It can be the hubris of a hero who makes fun of a man for his blindness when he is himself more blind than anyone else, or of one who is quick to assume a loyal friend has turned on him for his crown, when that friend is more contempt with the power they already have without the need for fear. It can be the stubbornness of a hero who will do anything to find out the truth, even when he is constantly warned by those around him not to pursue it. Oedipus Rex more than any other tragedy has taught me that some things should just be left as is. Sometimes, it’s better to stay blind to the truth and to truly listen to those you trust when they tell you there is nothing to gain and everything to lose from it. It has also taught me not to become infatuated with pride, for it is only when you raise yourself so high that you can fall so low.