According to Aristotle, a tragedy is an imitation of life that takes the form of serious story or play that is complete in itself. That means it has to draw from real life and make the audience feel pity for the characters. Dramatic irony plays an important part in Oedipus the King, as the characters of the story attempt to change the course of their fate. Our main character is Oedipus, a man fated at birth to marry his mother and kill his father. The entire play revolves around his trying to prevent this from happening.
The dramatic irony comes into play each time a character tries to avert the future predicted. The audience knows their attempt is futile, thus creating the sense of irony in the play. One of the best examples of this irony is when Jocasta tells Oedipus “…no man, ever, has mastered prophecy” basically stating that the oracles are powerless (824). Then in the very next scene the audience gets to see her praying to those same oracles she discredited to Oedipus.
Oedipus is a puppet of fate in the cruelest way and cannot affect the future that has been predicted for him, no matter how he tries. This is an important message of the story, and the use of dramatic irony to involve the audience causes the characters come alive.
The dramatic irony comes into play each time a character tries to avert the future predicted. The audience knows their attempt is futile, thus creating the sense of irony in the play. One of the best examples of this irony is when Jocasta tells Oedipus “…no man, ever, has mastered prophecy” basically stating that the oracles are powerless (824). Then in the very next scene the audience gets to see her praying to those same oracles she discredited to Oedipus.
Oedipus is a puppet of fate in the cruelest way and cannot affect the future that has been predicted for him, no matter how he tries. This is an important message of the story, and the use of dramatic irony to involve the audience causes the characters come alive.