Sophocles’ use of irony helps the audience develop the characters of the play. Verbal irony shows the audience Oedipus’s many tragic flaws such as ignorance, pride, and his egotistical attitude. Situational irony showed us Oedipus’s ignorance of his birth parents and of himself. While dramatic irony showed us the actual truth of Oedipus’s wife/mother and of his fulfillment to the prophecy becoming his fate. In the beginning of the play, Thebes is under a horrible plague and so Oedipus sends Creon, his brother in law, to ask the oracle how to end the devastating plague.
There is much evidence in the play that Hamlet deliberately feigned fits of madness in order to confuse and disconcert the king and his attendants. His avowed intention to act "strange or odd" and to "put an antic disposition on" 1 (I. v. 170, 172) is not the only indication. The latter phrase, which is of doubtful interpretation, should be taken in its context and in connection with his other remarks that bear on the same question. To his old friend, Guildenstem, he intimates that "his uncle-father and aunt-mother are deceived," and that he is only "mad north-north-west." (II.
It is the type of irony you notice almost as soon as you read it. The first example of verbal irony in Oedipus Rex Act _ Scene _ is when Oedipus demands that the evil man who murdered King Laius be cruelly punished without realizing that the man who murdered him is none other than himself. This is verbal irony because Oedipus does not realize that he has actually condemned himself. Another example of verbal irony is when Oedipus accuses Creon of framing him for the murder of Laius so that Creon would become king. Creon states that he is not interested in being king as he is contented with his present position of wealth and power.
Focusing on Act 1 Scene 4 and Act 3 Scene 2, explore how the role of the Fool contributes to the tragic impact of King Lear. The play, King Lear expresses the hamartia and peripetiea that bring about the tragic death of a once powerful monarch. Rather than just allowing Lear himself to portray these features, Shakespeare uses the Fool to point out the King’s flaws, and also to develop the themes of human corruption and injustice which may lead Lear to becoming insane in the first place. Act 1 Scene 4 shows how the role of the Fool contributes to the tragic impact of King Lear by using comic relief. Shakespeare uses comic relief in order to overrule a serious situation which is, Lear asking Kent to assist upon him.
Hamlet’s slaying of Polonius only leads Hamlet to believe that it was a heaven-sent tool of vengeance to punish Polonius’s sins and to stain his own soul with blood. Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony exposes the deeper meaning and function of Hamlet’s actions. Hamlet denounces Ophelia in order to break all emotional connections with her, although this gets him no closer to revenge with Claudius. Hamlet expresses the same prejudice and hate in his outburst towards Ophelia that he does when he is thinking aloud to himself. Hamlet’s ingenious scheme to write a play in order to trigger a guilty reaction from Claudius is not typical of a madman.
Thus, the action in a comedy consists of a string of incidents that reveal the fool in situation after situation where he shows variations from what is considered normal behavior. Much of the fun of comedy consists of the reaction of the other characters to the behavior of the principal character. Often comedy ends in the marriage of the principal characters, the writer’s cue to us that order will be created and sustained now that the characters have wed. Wordplay: Oxymorons: The word oxymoron comes from the Greek meaning "pointedly foolish." Examples: Quince refers to the play of Pyramus and Thisbe as "the most lamentable comedy." (I.ii.
The Fool's function in King Lear is to create emphasis on the tragedy in the play and give insight into the characters' true nature. He shows other characters' nature though blunt comments and earns himself the name of 'all-licensed Fool', as he clearly states peoples' inner personality. He develops the tragedy though a theme of madness and instability, from his use of poems and rhymes intermingled with standard prose, which even then is full of cryptic phrases and drivel. This, also, creates a dramatic atmosphere, as the lines of his riddle are short with a quick tempo. However, the Fool was not just used in King Lear.
The main representation of madness is within the character of the protagonist, King Lear. Through him, Shakespeare shows us true insanity and how it waxes and wanes due to outside influences such as love and rejection. At the commencement of the play, Shakespeare presents the seeds of madness through Lear’s vain demands for appreciation. Lear states that he was ready to express his “darker purpose” (I, i, ln36) when he begins to divide up his kingdom. From an outsider to the drama’s perspective, is obvious that the ‘darker purpose’ is related to Lear’s mad insecurities, which go
The theme of deception in Shakespeare’s plays The typical themes of Shakespeare’s works, especially his plays, often reflect popular moods, problematic occurrences and typical traits of human nature from his time which are relevant even today. One such theme is deception. The idea of deception in Shakespeare’s plays has many different faces. In one instance, it is accidental, as in The Comedy of Errors. In another instance, it is used as defense against greater harm, as in Othello.
Iago not only attempts to seek out his own personal revenge, but he manipulates several other characters in order to help him reach his own goal. He plays on the other characters’ weaknesses and personal tragedies to help him reach his own ultimate revenge. As is proven by the end of the play, Shakespeare is clearly stating his personal belief that revenge is improper. This can be seen through the ultimate downfall of Iago and all those involved. In his play Othello, Shakespeare uses the plot, characters, and ultimate destructive ending to all to show the reader his opinion that all revenge is improper.