Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Oedipus the King 4

          From lines 950 to 1145, there were some very key, important points regarding dramatic irony and Oedipus' fate and identity. On line 1036, Jocasta says, "Your prophecies of the gods, where are you now? This it the man that Oedipus feared for years, he fled him, not to kill him- and now he's dead, quite by chance, a normal, natural death, not murdered by his son." This is a great example of dramatic irony, because Polybus', Oedipus' adopted father's, death has nothing to do with the prophecy. Oedipus' prophecy was that he would kill his birth father, Lauis, which he did, but has not yet realized that he killed his own father. Jocasta and Oedipus have not pieced it together that they both were given the same prophecy when Oedipus was born because they are related (mother/son). Because they have not yet realized this, Jocasta basically thinks she is proving Tiresias and the gods wrong, and that their prophecy didn't come true. Little does she know, they actually were correct.
         Also, Oedipus' identity is brought up once again on line 1002. "Oedipus is beside himself. Racked with anguish, no longer a man of sense," (Jocasta) Oedipus' Greek hero side takes over when it comes to discussing his prophecy and his murder of Lauis. His arrogance clearly overpowers his mortality when he has to deal with difficult situations. Because of this, his fate does not look very pretty. On line 971, the chorus says, "but if any man comes striding, high and mighty in all he says and does, no fear of justice, no reverence for the temples of the gods- let a rough doom tear him down, repay his pride, breakneck, ruinous pride!" The chorus is talking about what should happen to Lauis' murderer, or evidently, what will happen to Oedipus in the not-so-distant future.

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