To the ancient Greeks, once a person s fate was prophesized, it was set in stone. Nothing at all could be done to change it. Anyone who attempted to alter her/his fate would do so in vain. Fate would overcome all in the end. A prime example of these twisted circumstances is displayed in the play Oedipus the King, written by Sophecles. Oedipus was ill fated since birth. His parents were told that he would marry his mother Jocasta, and murder his father, Laius. Laius and Jocasta both tried to change their son s fate. They discovered too late that their effort was meaningless, and their son s fate destroyed them in the end. When Sophecles wrote this play, he infused it with irony of all types. This was done to better develop his theme of predestination. In Sophecles Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, both verbal and dramatic irony are used to better comprehend the twisted circumstances of Oedipus fate.
Situational irony is used throughout the entire play. It is most prevalent in the scenes between Oedipus and Tiresias, the old blind prophet. One would think that because Oedipus has perfectly good eyes he would be able to see more clearly than Tiresias, who is completely blind. This, however, is not the case. In loosing his actual physical, vision, Tiresias has only strengthened his vision of things into the future. Oedipus on the other hand is completely and ironically blind of things into the future. Tiresias makes Oedipus aware his lack of foresight when Oedipus ridicules his blindness.
