... uses very twisted situations to make this play ironic. The whole play is filled with irony and paradox. When Oedipus learns that finding the kings killer will rid the city of the plague, he sets out to "avenge this wrong to Thebes and to the gods." Oedipus is already setting himself up for trouble because the king is actually his father. This puts ... the city never to come back. He leaves and becomes a dweller on the hills, just as he was as a young child. Throughout the play there is a great deal of paradox because Oedipus is so determined to avenge the king's killer that it becomes a...

• Word Count: 897
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... because the prophesy would be an untold tale. Commentary It would be hard to find a play that has been more universally praised than Oedipus Rex ("King Oedipus"). Aristotle considered it the model tragedy, and that opinion has been widely held to the present day. No drama before or since has ... . The first and final - and most tragic and triumphant - irony, however, lies in the implicit acknowledgment that the very quality of Hubris (Oedipus' arrogance in defying cosmic and priestly authority, fate and prophecy) is the same quality that enabled him to earlier confront and defeat the Sp...

• Word Count: 2522
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... between light and dark, and blindness and sight plays a large role throughout Oedipus Rex. The light and dark imagery that pervades the play is used as a metaphor for Oedipus's spiritual blindness. The darkness represents his inability to see the truth about his life. Oedipus Rex is a play full of paradox. The imagery of sightedness and blindness highlight the contrasts between the characters. Tiresias ... , a prophet, who can see the future and knows what will happen to Oedipus, is physically blind. During the exchange between ... Tiresias and Oedipus near the beginning of the play, co...

• Word Count: 678
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... and Paradox in Oedipus Rex The play Oedipus Rex is full of both irony and paradox. Contradictory statements, actions, and incongrewincy between what the king wants and gets all add up to make this play a classical masterpiece. Not only is the plot itself ironic but so also are some things that are said. When Oedipus finds ... the city because of his actions. There is a huge paradox in the play that is found where Teiresias is speaking to Oedipus. King Oedipus is trying to find out who killed the king and is questioning Teiresias. Oedipus mocks him for being old and blind. Teiresias tells...

• Word Count: 716
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School