In the play Hamlet one of the most compelling things is distinguishing good from bad or real from fake. This holds true when dealing with the ghost of Hamlet’s father. When Hamlet goes to follow his father’s ghost although Marcellus and Horatio urge him not to, Marcellus says “Something is rotten in the state if Denmark”(Act 1, scene 4, line 91).

Marcellus has his suspicions as to whether the ghost is really Hamlet’s father or a demon. This is the compelling force in which the play of Hamlet keeps you wondering whether it’s really the ghost of Hamlet’s father, or a demon that taking on his father’s form to cause trouble for Hamlet. Aside from being doubtful of the true nature of the ghost the line Marcellus states “Something is rotten” could also be due to the fact that King Claudius is responsible for the murder of the previous king, his brother. The appearance of the ghost regardless if it is Hamlet’s father or a demon means that something rotten really is going on in Denmark. This line is great foreshadowing and makes you think whether the ghost is trying to get vengeance for injustice that has happened to him or simple a devil causing havoc.     

In the story Oedipus the king, Oedipus considers himself to be the child of luck and boasts about his good fortune. Towards the end of the story Oedipus states “Luck is my mother who raised me; the months are my brothers, who’ve seen me through the low times in my life and the high ones. Those are the powers that made me.” He believes that he has good fortune and that it is that good fortune that has brought him to power. Oedipus throughout the story was worried about whether the killer is him or not, but in this text he seems to be reassured that he is not due to the good luck he has had up until now. He says luck is his mother and the months are his brothers thinking that good fortune is on his side but he’s soon to find out luck isn’t his mother but his wife is, and the months aren’t his brothers but more so his sons are.

Oedipus terribly mistakes his good fortune with his wretched one which is the dramatic irony shown here. The fact he saved the town and went on to become king in his own right was the opposite of luck; it was him fulfilling his cursed prophesy. This line shows Oedipus at his cockiest moment and displays his arrogance and blindness to the truth. The fact the fact the Oedipus thinks he is the child of luck is the best display of his mental blindness that has kept him powerful and sane up until the point of his revelation about his birth. This line does more than show dramatic irony, it shows how ignorant Oedipus is to his knowledge of origin and to people like Jokasta warning him to stop his search in order to protect him.