ment to which the prophecy refers is the murderer of Laius. Oedipus sees it as his duty to rid the city of the villain, who the audience knows to be the king himself.Seeking out the man who slew Laius leads Oedipus to question his own innocence, and leads into the final metamorphosis of Oedipus quest. Prompted by a messenger heralding the death of Polybus, he is beginning to dig into his past, going deeper than the possibility of his murdering Laius. He has become obsessed with his hunt for truth to the point where he is a worry to those around him: "He will listen to any voice that speaks disaster" (III.7). He finally draws parallels between Laius and himself, realizing the horrible truth of his very existence; he has murdered his father and married his mother. This prompts him to gouge out his eyes, ending his search.These three stages, with respect to literary devices, can be traced accurately and effectively throughout the play. Sometimes highlighting Oedipus character, other times hinting at his fate, the author creates an intricate web of ironies and images to captivate his audience. Each layer compounds the suffering of Oedipus when the truth is revealed.While presenting the plea of all Thebans in the prologue, the priest says, "We rose but later fell" (52). He, of course, is referring to the city, but the audience sees the irony in the line. Oedipus "rose" to the throne when the city was released from the horror of the Sphinx, but he is the one who will "fall" in trying to save the city once more. Oedipus goes full circle in this respect; he begins by searching for a way to prevent the downfall of Thebes, and ends by provoking his own downfall with the revelation of his personal truths. Oedipus believes the truth will bring relief to both him and Thebes: "you shall have relief from all these evils" (I. 3). Once again, the irony is apparent in the fact that when Oedipus knows the truth he blinds himself yet lives on in agony.When...
