The razor sharp irony in Oedipus Rex is one of the elements that has given the play its power to spellbind audiences for thousands of years and has also made updated versions of the story popular from Roman times to the present day. ... The dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience knows something important that a character in a story or drama does not know. ... And when Oedipus says, "whoever killed king Laius might who knows? ... The fundamental irony in Oedipus Rex that stems from the fact which the audience knows king Oedipus's true identity, while he is unaware of it. ... T...

• Word Count: 703
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Dramatic irony is a literary technique where the characters have an inaccurate understanding of the facts. ... We realize Oedipus is damning himself when he declares punishment on he who has murdered King Laios. ... The irony is what makes this play powerful because of the viewers knowledge; they can connect with Oedipus and understand he has been cursed from birth. ... Wilson also mentions irony. ... The play Oedipus Rex overall has a powerful affect on its audience because it brings amusement to its audience by the use of the irony used throughout the play that caused the audience to fear f...

• Word Count: 1070
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography

Blindness, Even With Sight The tragic play Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles, is filled with dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the audience has knowledge about the main character in the play that a major, predictable event will happen to him/her but the character is not aware of tragedy that will eventually ensue. ... One such example of a dramatic irony in the play is the theme of blindness. When Oedipus persists in finding who is the murderer of the previous king, Laios, Oedipus is blind to fact that he is actually the killer which caused the plaque in the city of Thebes. The irony of it is...

• Word Count: 523
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School