Oedipus Rex is a tragedy of a man who attempts to flee a prophecy out of fear of what the future may hold for him, and in doing so blindly falls straight into his tragic fate. The use of literary devices in this play such as irony, metaphor, and reversal of situation in this play help to weave Sophocles' masterpiece tragedy in to a work of art to be appreciated for centuries to come. The literary artwork of Oedipus Rex makes it a tragedy honorable of the title "perfection". As these threads of literary devices join together throughout the play, they weave the magnificent tapestry of Oedipus Rex.

In the play Oedipus Rex, there are many hints of irony laced throughout this tragic play. The plot of the play in itself is ironic: Oedipus' goal in the play is to find the source of the plagues haunting Thebes, a search which ironically leads to the main hunter, himself. Many of these threads of irony are found in the third scene of the play. For example, in the beginning of scene three, Iokaste begins the scene by presenting a prayer to the Gods to help her land in this time of turmoil. In these opening lines, Iokaste observes that the "king is not himse

The literary device reversal of situation becomes the foundation for the Oedipus Rex tapestry. As indicated previously, Oedipus opens the play as man of pride, a man on top. As Oedipus pursues his truth and his fate, he tragically falls to the bottom, and becomes a man of shame. It had been prophesied to Oedipus many years earlier that in his future he was destined to "marry his own mother, shed his father's blood" (scene 3, line 89). To avoid this from happening, Oedipus attempts to flee from whom he believes his birth parents in Corinth, and finds himself saving the day by solving the Sphinx in Thebes. As a reward for saving the city, Oedipus is crowned king, and marries the queen, who is his real birth mother. This act of unintentional incest brings a plague upon the town, which Oedipus attempts to lift. When found that he is the source of the plague, he must inflict punishment upon himself. Throughout the course of the play, Oedipus has gone from Savior to terrorist, husband to son, king to commonality, man of honor to a man of shame. Anything and everything that Oedipus was at the beginning of the play he is by act of fate not at the end of the play. Oedipus' reversal sets the foundation for the story line of the play.

The articulate tapestry of the story Oedipus Rex is that of a tale that has fascinated readers for years past and years to come. Through the literary threads of irony, metaphor, and reversal of situation, Sophocles play Oedipus Rex presents an entrancing story line that keeps the reader interested throughout the play. After a more intense look at the play, it is understandable why Aristotle could call a play so great a "perfect tragedy".

To add color to the Oedipus Rex tapestry, Sophocles adds to his play the th

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Approximate Word count = 1178
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)