As Aristotle observes in Chapter XVIII of his Poetics, The chorus too should be regarded as one of

the actors; it should be an integral part of the whole, and share in the action, in the manner not of
Euripides but of Sophocles, the chorus in Greek tragedies is a group of actors that speak, sing and
dance in unison to impart a musical effect. It performs the role of an ideal spectator; pays
attention to the speeches; clarifies experiences and feelings of the characters in everyday terms;
expresses the conventional, moral and ethical attitudes toward the developments in the play;
creates a psychological and emotional background to the tragic action; points out the significance
of events and represents the society at large. It never leaves the stage and acts as jury to provide
advice, opinions and reach a verdict or objective truth based on evidence presented. Integrated
into the action of the play, Sophocles choral odes divided into strophe and antistrophe in Oedipus
the King occurring between the actors dialogues (stasimon) represent the endless, irresolvable
possibilities.
The chorus in Oedipus the King plays the role of mediator between the imaginary world of the
drama and the real world of the audience. They mediate in terms of space and in terms of
understanding. They are meant to comment and evaluate the incidents and developments,
characters and themes of the drama. The oracle announces that the plague is a result of religious
pollution and that the god Apollo requests that the people of Thebes exile the previously unknown
miasma away from the town. Oedipus asks the citizens to stop praying and focus on finding the
cure. The Chorus stays on stage to summarize the sorrowful condition prevailing in the city. They
pray to Zeuss daughter Athena and Artemis and Apollo for deliverance from the deadly plague.
They describe the effects of the plague on themselves and the Thebans, children are dying in the
womb, crops are failing, Thebes is dying. They finish by begging for salvation to the gods Zeus,
Apollo, Artemis and Dionysus to drive away disease.
O golden daughter of god, send rescue
radiant as the kindness in your eyes!
The chorus also plays the role of guiding emotions, response and understanding. They tell
what to feel, what to say and how to look at and evaluate what happens on the stage. They express
the appropriate kind of feeling whenever any important development or discovery takes place in
the world of the characters. They intervene in the Tiresias scene. They try to calm Oedipus when he
is shouting at Tiresias, I would suggest his words are spoken in anger, Oedipusyours too, and
isnt what we need. When Creon, learning that the king has accused him of treason, comes on the
stage and talks to the Chorus, who tell him that the kings accusation was probably made in the
heat of anger and it is not for them to look into the eyes of his master when he speaks. Later the
whole chorus intervenes to defend Creons reputation and support his plea that he has not
committed treason, The mans your friend, your kin, hes under oath- dont cast him out, disgraced
branded with guilt on the strength of hearsay only. They indirectly speak to Oedipus of the
possible fall of tyrants through extreme pride, arrogance and ill-temper. It is clear, thus, that the
Chorus never takes a direct hand in the action. It does not consist only of spectators but influences
the action in various subtle ways.
The commentary made by the chorus creates appropriate mood and atmosphere of the play.
They voice ill-omen and foreboding and represent Sophocles' theme of fatalism. They fear the law
of the gods and express that fear, warning that the disobedience of the divine laws brings about
doom. When Jocasta dismisses prophets and prophecies Its neither here nor there, the chorus
voices their disapproval at this lack of respect for the gods. Destiny guide me always/Destiny find
me filled with reverence/Pure in word and deed.
The chorus analyses objectively the characters and events allows the time to pass. They delve
deep into the crisis of his Oedipus identity and his mental strife. They speculate on some romantic
affair between gods and nymphs on the mountain side and assume that Oedipus must be such
semi-divine product. They interpret Oedipus's fall and reflect upon the short-lived happiness of
human beings. They sympathize with Oedipus when they see him after he has blinded himself:
Pitiful, you suffer so, you understand so much/I wish you had never known, How can I say
youve chosen for the best? / Better to die than be alive and blind. They end the play by asking the
audience to look on Oedipus as a man who has solved the riddle with his brilliance and risen to
power. They ask for Gods benediction, Count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last.