October 7th Oedipus Rex Quote Response

"My designs could not be suited more : to avenge the god and Thebes in a single blow." (11)
I chose to respond to this quote because I feel that this quote is very important to the text. It provides a sort of foreshadow for events that are possibly down the road, as well as allows us to see Oedipus' strong feelings about finding Laius' murdered. Oedipus is determined to avenge the death of the former king and in a way, bring honor back to Thebes. His passionate feelings about this are however, ironic due to the fact that Oedipus is in fact the murderer. This is one of the first major displays of dramatic irony included in the text.
When Oedipus states: "My designs could not be suited more." He is discussing the way in which he is looked upon by his country men as the closest man to a god. Also, they see him as practically the savior of Thebes due to his heroic actions when he was previously pitted against the Sphinx. He must avenge Thebes because they have begun to be under the impression that Laius' murderer may have been bribed to do so. They are of the mind that a conspiracy may be a foot. This is displayed in an earlier section of the text.
This quote sets the stage for events to come by giving us insight into how strongly Oedipus feels about protecting the land he rules. Also, it shows that he will get to the bottom of the situation no matter what must be done. He even brags that he will be able to accomplish all of this "in a single blow." That segment of the quote shows Oedipus' ego, a flaw which may lead to his demise or downfall somewhere down the road. This quote is a very important one because it not only foreshadows the future for us, but also displays irony.