Irony is a literary device in literatures, and it can express tragedy effectively. In “Agamemnon,” “Oedipus,” “Bacchus,” and “the Clouds,” all tragedies happened among family members. All authors expressed tragedies by ironic device. According to using the device of irony, let readers have a deep thought of tragic events. Hence, the main purpose of using irony was to reveal tragedies.
In “Oedipus the King,” the author mainly used the device of irony to show the tragedies. At the beginning, Sophocles used the plague in the Thebe as an introduction in the play. This introduction described a heroic image for Oedipus. After discovering the truth, Oedipus made a promise to look for the murderer to kill Laios. Oedipus’ promise was preparer to reveal his tragedy.
“Oedipus: I will bring this to light again. King Phoebus fittingly took this care about the dead, and you too fittingly. And justly you will see in me an ally, a champion of my country and the God. For when I drive pollution from the land, I will not serve a distant friend’s advantage, but act in my own interest. Whoever he was that killed the King may readily wish to dispatch me with his murderous hand; so helping the dead king I help myself.” (Page 16 Line 135)
In this quote, this was a good example to show tragedy by using the device of irony. Oedipus didn’t know who he really was, did not know who his father really was, and did not know he was the murderer to kill Laios. He was eager to look for the murder, and he made every effort to clean the pollution in the Thebes. All what he had done made a heroic image in people’s minds. He eventually would destroy his heroic image in people’s minds. He would be from a hero to become a murder to kill father. This was really a big irony. A murder didn’t know him a murder, and wanted to punish himself.
In addition, at the middle of the play, Jocasta told the history that she had abandoned a son. She stated the reason why she abandoned her son.
“Laios had the feet of this child bound and pinned. Someone tossed it in a mountain wilderness. So there. Apollo didn’t cause this boy to be his father’s killer. Laios didn’t bear the terror he feared from his son. That’s what the words of prophecy defined. (Sophocles I line 717)
In this quote, Jocasta released Laios and her story. The use of irony was to show that people could not escape from fate even if they knew their fate. Although Laios and Jocasta knew their fate, they still could not avoid the fate. They thought they sent their son far away from the Thebes, and they could escape the tragedy. Unfortunately, the fact was not changed, and the prophecy still came true in Thebes. Laios ultimately was killed by his son, and Jocasta finally married his son and produced children for his son. Oedipus felt into regret toward what he had done. Hence, it was really a great irony. If Laios and Jocasta didn’t send Oedipus away from Thebes and brought up Oedipus, they might escape from their fate because Oedipus knew who his father and mother were.
In “the Bacchus,” Euripides also showed the tragedy by irony. He described Agave’s sadness after she killed her son Pentheus. She cut her son into piece. She put her son’s body together when she knew she had killed her son. Comparing to the following dialogue, this was also a great tragedy. Happiness of killing her own son and sadness of killing her own son were a conflict, but it was a big irony.
Agave: Father, where is my poor boy’s body now?
Cadmus: There it is. I gathered the pieces with great difficulty.
Agave: Is his body entire? Has he been laid out well?
Cadmus: All but the head. The rest is mutilated horribly.
Agave: But why should Pentheus suffer for my crime?
Cadmus: He, like you, blasphemed the god. And so the god has brought us all to ruin at one blow, you, your sisters, and this boy. All our house the god as utterly destroyed and, with it, me. For I have no sons left, no male heir; and I have lived only to see this boy, this branch of your own body, most horribly and foully killed. (“The Bacchae” Page214 line 1300)
In this dialogue, Agave recognized what she had done to her son Pentheus, and Cadmus told Jocasta the reason why he had no sons left. In fact, that was revenge from his grandson Dionysus. However, they still thought that was a punishment from the god. At that moment, Agave’s emotion was totally different from her emotion of killing her son
Chorus: Extraordinary catch.
Agave: Extraordinary skill.
Chorus: You are proud?
Agave: Proud and happy. I have won the trophy of the chase, a great prize, manifest to all.
Coryphaeus: Then, poor woman, show the citizens of Thebes this great prize, this trophy you have won in the hunt. (“The Bacchae” Page 208 Line 1200)
In this dialogue, it shows Pentheus’ mother, Agave’s proud and happy after she killed her own son. It was really a big irony because mother was full of happiness to kill her son. She took her son’s head as a prize, showed her son’s head to the citizens of Thebes proudly. Using this example of irony is the best way to show this great tragedy because there was nothing more effective than mother killed her son as a wild lion.
In “the Clouds,” Strepsiades wanted to avoid his debts, he sent his son Pheidippides to the school. Let Pheidippides be educated by right and wrong. As a result, Pheidippides learned the wrong and helped his father to avoid the debts when he graduated from the school. However, after avoiding the debts, the tragedy came to Strepsiades. Not only Pheidippides beat his mother, but also he was not grateful to his father. He twisted the law by his wrong argument.
Strepsiades: You Clouds, it’s all your fault I suffer this! I trusted you to handle my affairs.
Chorus Leader: No you’re responsible for doing it to yourself: you took the twisting road that leads toward evil.
In this quote, it was also an irony. Strepsiades didn’t reflect what he had done to his son. He put all faults on the school. In fact, Strepsiades just wanted his son Pheidippides to help him avoid his debt. Nevertheless, he could not predict the bad result that his son would beat him after Pheidippides helped his father to avoid the debt. Strepsiades’ tragedy was made by himself. He just wanted to avoid his debts but ignored the result which his son would deal with him by the wrong argument. He finally blamed the clouds that they led his son Pheidippides to be an evil person rather than reflecting his wrong actions. It was his retribution that he made his son become evil. Not only his son used what he had learned from the Clouds to deal with those creditors, but also Pheidippides used what he had learned from the Clouds to deal with his parents. He “lost” a good son who was graceful to his father, and produced an evil son who would beat his parents. At the end of the play, Strepsiades burned the school, but it didn’t make any sense for him because his son would not change anymore. Hence, this was a tragedy but this tragedy was shown by a comic.
In “Agamemnon,” Agamemnon was the King in the Argo. He sacrificed his daughter to Iris. That was his tragedy to be a King and soldier. When he was killed by his wife Clytaemnestra, no one of the members of the Chorus revenged for him. Although Agamemnon didn’t directly show his sadness to sacrifice his daughter, his wife Cltaemnestra did. She wanted to kill her husband Agamemnon due to her sadness of losing a daughter. According to Cltaemnestra’s sadness and hatred, tragedy was shown.
“You cry out as if I were a woman and vain; but my heart is not fluttered as I speak before you. You know it. You can praise or blame me as you wish; it is all one to me. That man is Agamemnon, my husband; he is dead; the work of this right hand/ that struck in strength of righteousness. And that is that.” (Euripides V Lines 1401-1406)
The Queen admitted that she killed the King Agamemnon. However, the old men just cried and complained about Agamemnon’s death. They totally had no any actions to revenge for Agamemnon. It was so ironic that King was killed by the Queen. However, they still obeyed Clytaemnestra as a queen in the Argo, without punishment. Comparing to when Agamemnon came from the Trojan War, the Chorus’ attitude were totally different. At that time, they showed their respect to Agamemnon. When Agamemnon was killed, the Chorus changed their attitude. No one revenged for Agamemnon. In addition, when the members of the Chorus knew Clytaemnestra’s lover Atreus helped Clytaemnestra to murder Agamemnon, they just blamed Atreus for all that had happened, stating that he put Clytaemnestra up to committing this act of murder instead of being honorable and doing it himself.
“So then you, like a woman, waited the war out her in the house, shaming the master’s bed with lust, and planed against the lord of war this treacherous death? (Lines 1625-1627)
It was so ironic that what the Chorus said. Without Clytaemnestra, it was impossible for Atreus to approach to Agamemnon. He had a chance to help Clytaemnestra to murder Agamemnon because he got an advantage, that is, Clytaemnestra wanted to kill Agamemnon. The Chorus was fearful of Clytaemnestra, and they put all responsibilities on Atreus. What they did was to show they were cowardly. It was really Agamemnon’s tragedy because he protected and led a group of cowardice. He devoted his daughter in order to win the Trojan War. However, there was no one revenging for him after the unnatural death. Furthermore, Agamemnon was a soldier, and he had experienced the Trojan War for over ten years. Here, it was also ironic that Agamemnon did not die in the war, but he died in his palace, and was killed by his wife. Hence, this irony was shown by the difference of the Chorus’ attitudes toward Agamemnon.
Above all, in the four works, all authors mainly use the device of irony to show the tragedies. All characters in the plays suffered from their tragedies. All their tragedies came from their family members. According to using the device of irony, readers can reflect these tragedies as their life lesson.