Dramatic Irony in Oedipus Rex

In the Greek tragedy, Oedipus Rex, Sophocles is able to generate the interest of the audience through a new interpretation of the classic myth, and the use of poetic language and dramatic irony. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience knows certain things about the situation that the characters on stage do not. For example, in Oedipus Rex, the audience knows from the beginning that Oedipus killed his father and married his mother. This literary technique is effective because it allows the audience to see the story from a point of view that transcends the knowledge of the characters. In the…