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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page research paper and analysis that demonstrates how irony is an overriding characteristic of the play. The writer discusses several Freudian interpretations of the meaning behind the irony in the play and argues that Green (1993) has the most logical interpretation. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_Useirony.doc
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
element of irony. Irony can be defined as "a combination of circumstances or a result that is the opposite of what is or might be expected or considered appropriate," (Guralnik,
Websters, 1968, p. 745). This element is the defining characteristic of Sophocles tragedy. The first event that sets the whole tragic tale
in motion is when Laius, King of Thebes, is told by a prophet that any child that is born to him and his queen, Jocasta, will murder him. Therefore, when
a child is born to him, he pierces the babys ankles with a spike, ties them together, and has a servant leave the child on Mount Cithaeron to die from
exposure. This is ironic because if Laius had not attempted to murder his own child, Oedipus would not have been found and raised by strangers. He would have known Jocasta
was his mother. Likewise, despite his violent temper, he would not have killed his father on the road to the Oracle if had had been aware of his identity.
As a baby, Oedipus is found by a shepherd, and taken back to Corinth where he is raised as the son of King Polybus, and his queen, Merope. After
he is grown, Oedipus is told by a drunken man at a banquet that he really isnt the son of Polybus. Confused, Oedipus is determined to learn the truth and
visits the Delphic oracle. The horrified priestess sends him away saying that he will murder his father and marry his mother. Appalled, Oedipus doesnt return to Corinth in the hopes
of preventing the prophecy from coming true. But, in so doing, he defied the will of the gods, and sealed his fate. This is, of course, ironic because Oedipus
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