What is irony, and what is dramatic irony?
Sophocles uses dramatic irony quite extensively in Oedipus the King; give two examples of this, and explain why they represent dramatic irony. Answer: Throughout Oedipus the King, there is a great deal of irony, and more specifically, dramatic irony. Irony can be defined as something that is so unexpected or ill timed that it is deliberately perverse. An example of this from the play lies in Tiresias’s character. He- is a blind prophet, and the only one who is able to truly see the truth. Oedipus, who is able to see perfectly, is blind to the prophecies that have been fulfilled in his life, and he is unwilling to listen to Tiresias, who will open his eyes to the truth. Dramatic irony is something slightly different than irony. Things are considered dramatic irony when the audience knows more than the characters on stage do. One example that illustrates this concept is when Oedipus is making a speech in which he says that Laius’s murderer will be severely punished (banished and exiled f
