Point of View
Oedipus the King, also known as Oedipus Rex, is not told from any character's perspective; it was written to be performed as a play so the only type of narration is that of dialogue. The reader only gains the perspective of what each character says, therefore attaining knowledge from all different angles of the book. The reader understands what other characters in the book might not. As a result, it can be concluded that Sophocles wrote Oedipus the King with a third person omniscient point of view. The narrative voice is reliable because the audience already knows how the story will play out; this opens the door for dramatic irony. From what we have read in the book, Sophocles only provides basic background information for each character. Oedipus is a very well-respected and powerful man. He is revered highly as a king among the general populace because he successfully solved the riddle of the Sphinx. Creon, Oedipus's uncle, is more logical and thought oriented than Oedipus. His logic makes his dialogue credible. Tiresias, a blind prophet, is portrayed as being a very wise old man, his blindness is ironic in that he is the most knowledgeable of all the characters, yet he is unable to see. Tiresias is probably the most credible of the characters due to the fact that the audience is familiar with his blessing and his curses. Sophocles persuades the reader into liking Oedipus through Oedipus's aggressive actions. His extreme determination of being good leader regardless of the possible sacrifices he might have to make allow the reader to gain a sense of trust toward Oedipus.
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