Question 4 Blog Entry
Dramatic irony is normally found in dramatic monologues where there is a difference between the perception of the speaker and reader and so, the speaker is less aware of the impact of his or her words then the reader.
Oedipus’s parents are Laius and Iocaste because as a baby, Oedipus was given to a shepherd by Iocaste to be destroyed, however the shepherd did not destroy the baby, but gave him to another shepherd to raise him as the prince of Corinth. This proves that Iocaste and Laius are the parents since Oedipus was raised as the prince of Corinth.
As far as Oedipus knew, Laius, the former king, and his travelling companions were murdered by a band of thieves on their way to see the oracle. It was not until a shepherd told Oedipus of his real parents by informing him that it was Iocaste who gave him a baby Oedipus to destroy because she said the prophet told her that the baby would grow up to murder his father. This was where Oedipus discovered that he, who thought he killed a group of travellers in self-defence, killed his own father.
Sophocles, 'Oedipus the King', Part 2
I found it interesting that the ‘fate’ of Oedipus, Iocaste, and Laius were all because of the prophet. Each character’s actions were initiated by the prophet and in the end their lives were taken because of their reactions to what the prophet said, it was a tragic flaw perhaps: the avoidance of the fulfillment of the prophecies is what caused each character's downfall.
Oedipus’s parents are Laius and Iocaste because as a baby, Oedipus was given to a shepherd by Iocaste to be destroyed, however the shepherd did not destroy the baby, but gave him to another shepherd to raise him as the prince of Corinth. This proves that Iocaste and Laius are the parents since Oedipus was raised as the prince of Corinth.
As far as Oedipus knew, Laius, the former king, and his travelling companions were murdered by a band of thieves on their way to see the oracle. It was not until a shepherd told Oedipus of his real parents by informing him that it was Iocaste who gave him a baby Oedipus to destroy because she said the prophet told her that the baby would grow up to murder his father. This was where Oedipus discovered that he, who thought he killed a group of travellers in self-defence, killed his own father.
Sophocles, 'Oedipus the King', Part 2
I found it interesting that the ‘fate’ of Oedipus, Iocaste, and Laius were all because of the prophet. Each character’s actions were initiated by the prophet and in the end their lives were taken because of their reactions to what the prophet said, it was a tragic flaw perhaps: the avoidance of the fulfillment of the prophecies is what caused each character's downfall.