Oedipus the king an analysis

Oedipus the king is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles first performed in 429 b.c it is story of Oedipus who becomes a king of the city of Thebes and destined to murder his father and marry his mother. In this essay we e plore the !uestion of Oedipus"s guilt for the murder of laios and the chorus"s role in the same.

In lines # t o $$% we see how &reon tells Oedipus his fate. 'e shall murder his father who ruled Thebes and marry his mother. This is the plague that Thebes suffers and Oedipus must dri(e himself out of it. The chorus)s role in the lines #*+ to 244 calls for the gods to sa(e thebes. ,urther from lines %-% onwards we see how .acosta / now Oedipus"s wife 0 con(inces him that he should not punish creon but he remains reluctant and indifferent. 1aius murder has shocked him because he was confronted by the tra(elers whom he killed actually in self defense and killed luias o(er crossroads. 2hile his wife tries to con(ince him that the prophecies ne(er came true3 Oedipus reali4es how he actually murdered his father while he was the prince of &orinth. The chorus)s ode in lines 954 to 99% ser(es as reminder that the prophecy was meant for purpose. It was the gods who decided the destiny of humans. The chorus depicts the situation of Thebes suffering with the curse and miserable6 Insolence breeds the tyrant3 insolence if it is glutted with a surfeit3 unseasonable3 unprofitable3 climbs to the roof6top and plunges sheer down to the ruin that must be3 and there its feet are no ser(ice .

It staunchly held throughout that how the prophesies will and ha(e to come true. The chorus pleads for the gods to end the plague. 'ere chorus re(eals what they belie(e Oedipus is capable of by saying 7if he8murderers of 1aius9 has a share of fear at all3 his courage will not stand firm3 hearing your curse / line 2940:.

In classic greek plays3 the chorus is the agent of the playwright to put forth the message or moral lesson. It contributes nothing to the plot but commemorates the action and comment on it. This techni!ue has also been employed by Shakespeare in some of his plays. In this play too3 as mentioned abo(e3 it commemorates the ma;or e(ents and also comments on the miserable situation of Thebes. The chorus sees Oedipus"s dilemma when he is made known of the curse by teirseias3 analyses the information and brings to light 6 was there a !uarrel between labdacus and son of polypus< They speculate e(ents and no matter how the characters try to negate that the prophecies are not true3 the chorus keeps emphasi4ing and re emphasi4ing that the prophecies are made my gods and they shall come true anyway. The lyrical way in which the chorus functions enhances the regulation of the plot.

The chorus acts a bystander thus3 reacting and then offering commentary. They also bring emotion and keep the (iewers engaged with the play and its de(elopment. 2hile Oedipus breaks to learn that he actually did kill liaus 3 the chorus is able to tell how badly his heart bleeds o(er it and how the prophecy has come true. There is feeling of uncertainty per(ading as the chorus lacking confidence in Oedipus says3 7=od grant that now3 too3 you may pro(e a fortunate guide for us /pg. 4# line *950.

It is ;ust moments later this he reali4es that ;acosta is his mother and he married her. In the last ode in the play3 the chorus reflects the de;ection that Oedipus went through and how the generations of men add up to nothing great. The ode seems to reflect the final mood3 the final ;udgment of Oedipus"s painful downfall which is perhaps both forceful and una(oidable in this case. >et Oedipus accepts it heroically and embraces it.

The chorus ne(er takes any direct action or speaks to characters3 e(en though characters speak to the chorus /implicitly0. ,or instance when creon tells how angry must be Oedipus while he blamed him for treason it was a sudden gust of anger that forced that insult from him3 and no ;udgment thus co(ering up his flaw of rashness. &horus then becomes a mere spectator of action as along the audience. The characters are not aware of their e istence. Their ;ob is to fill the gaps and facilitate the action further without actually participating in the plot. Also3 their ;ob is to reflect the ultimate predicament that Oedipus suffers.