Stylistic techniques (imagery, figurative language, sensory detail)
A large majority of Oedipus is simply thought process and dialouge which is rather dull. There is hardly any imagery, figurative language or sensory detail. However, once Oedipus discovers that he is Jocasta's son and husband and he has killed his father, the following seen becomes full of vivid, often disgusting, imagery. It starts by describing Jocasta's agony, using many mournful and destructive words. Then Oedipus enters and a simile is used to compare him to a maddened beast, and very "angry" words words are used. Next when he finds his mother hanging some tender words are sprinkled in... And finally when he stabs out his eyes, some really disturbing imagery is used. Really, I had to stop reading for a bit because it was so gross.
I believe these two pages of the book contain more imagery/figurative language/sensory details than the rest of the book combined. It really emphasizes the climax, and the tragic nature of the play. Regular life is ho hum, but tragic moments are vivid and often remembered with great detail.
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