The first time I read this story was my senior year of high
school. I had an English teacher who
really didn’t care much about what was going on in the class and a roomful of
students who couldn’t care less about classic literature. Thus, my first exposition was not necessarily
a positive one. Something I did enjoy though, was watching the play
on a DVD that my teacher brought in to show the class. It was really old and badly acted, but it gave
life to the story that monotone popcorn-reading just didn’t offer.
Something that stood out to me the first time I read it and
again as I analyzed the story for this class was the awesome dramatic irony that
comes into play. Like “Ozymandias,” this
story is all about a downfall of one who was once great. Even from the beginning, Oedipus is glorified
for his wit and daring deeds, and it’s plain to see that he sees himself as
unconquerable. But then our buddy
Teiresias informs him plainly of his warped identity and is an excellent
example of dramatic contrast. Once
forced, Teiresias is blunt and to the point with Oedipus, telling him plainly
the things that our poor ruler doesn’t want to hear. Oedipus’s flat denial makes the truth all the
more cutting.
Starting out the story
with an exposition of the truth leaves us as an audience squirming and antsy as
we watch Oedipus discover it for himself until he cannot deny the murder and incest
any longer.
This is a technique that keeps us riveted
cathartically. Most people, especially
me, have denied something over and over, swearing up and down that it isn’t true,
only to discover the veracity in a usually embarrassing manner. The intense irony in this short play is
something real to us, which makes us able to relate to Oedipus, though
hopefully we cannot relate with the fact that he killed his dad and reproduced
with his mom.
I think this story, while disturbing, is genius and
thought-provoking. It is painful to
read, but leaves a lasting impression, possibly by the distorted nature of the
plot, but also because of the skillful dramatic irony of which it is
composed. Even on a class of
uninterested high school seniors.
