Irony In Sophocles Oedipus The King

While reading the tragedy "Oedipus the King", the tragic flaw that had occured in the play was Oedipus (the protagonist of the play) coming to the horrific realization that he not only killed his father, but he also married his mother and bore children with her. The setting opens up within the palace of Oedipus the king. For the most part through out the play, it can be seen through the audience that Oedipus was a boastful and prideful character, who would even go as far as using his position in authority to bully his subjects into submission. The irony behind all of this is, is that Oedipus himself at the end of the play becomes humble. The catharsis being specifically being at the point in which Oedipus ask for forgiveness not just for himself, but mainly for his children and puts them above himself in order to gain empathy from his subjects. …show more content…
Although a flat character, the Shepherd still plays an important role within the play "Oedipus the King". There are certain points where there are asides used within the play, such as when Oedipus addresses the people of Thebes (which could had also been the audience from outside of the play but not key characters within the stage.By definition of what occurs, and how boastful Oedipus is as an individual, through the atrocities that Oedipus is deemed to have committed, in a manner he can be classified as to being a tragic hero based upon those occurrences. The climax within the play must deal with not only Oedipus's mother committing suicide upon the realization of how she bore her own son's children, but as well as being with the fact that Oedipus coming upon the realization as well. The falling action consist of the scene in which Oedipus blinding himself by gouging his own eyes to humble himself upon his own subjects so that he may humiliate