In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, dramatic irony is often present in Oedipus’ long
speeches. Oedipus constantly sees things incorrectly, and is in denial that he
has, in fact, killed his father and married his mother. This is first apparent
when he demands the death of the man who killed Laios. Oedipus calls the man who
did this an evil murder. Oedipus assumes that, as he became a citizen of Thebes
after the murder, though he did kill someone, he is ruled out as a suspect of
Laios’ assassin. In another speech, Oedipus accuses Creon of setting him up in
order to get the throne, by framing him as the murderer. At this point, Oedipus
is in denial that he is guilty, even though all of the evidence points to him.
In reality, Creon does not want to be king at all; he enjoys his current
position of wealth and power without any real responsibility. A third occasion
of irony in the speeches is Oedipus’s firm belief that the people who raised
him were his biological parents. Oedipus refuses to believe that Iocaste is his
mother, and that by escaping to Thebes, he did not escape the fate he was told
of at Delphi. Because of Oedipus’s denial and stubbornness, he did suffer
greatly and ‘commit the greatest sin’.