Lines 471-475 shows a slight importance and role that the chorus plays in this reading. The build up towards this scene is a plague has struck and the citizens are dying. Oedipus learns that this has happened because the death of a former king Laius needs to be avenged. The killer must be found and banished or executed. Teiresias is a prophet. He and Oedipus begin a conversation that turns into conflict and an exchange of words that increases the anger of Oedipus and Teiresias. He learns of the truth, though he is hesitant and unwilling to tell Oedipus. The chorus then intervenes and states,
“We look at this man’s words and yours, my
king, and we find both have spoken them in anger.
We need no angry words but only thought
how we may best hit the God’s meaning for us.”
The chorus’ opinion takes into effect. They remind us readers and the king at the same time that even they know this argument and new found conflict is worthless and unnecessary, to focus on what his means for the people and to not speak words of anger but of understanding and solution.
3 thoughts on “Celine Ghany Discussion 6”
Thank you for the valuable comment, Celine. The chorus really plays an important role It’s a nice observation, that the voice of the chorus representing the citizens’ perception, can appeal to reason and rationality of the main characters. It reminds the king that even being a great King, he mustn’t put his personal issues on the first place and succumb to emotions, because any king serves to the God and his “demos”, after all, ancient Greece is the cradle of not only theater and tragedy, but also democracy in its own peculiar way.
Celine, you have used the exact same quote Dasia used in her post yesterday. I’m sure you didn’t mean to replicate the quote; however, my response to her applies to your post, as well. I hope everyone will consider skimming through the posts of others before submitting to avoid duplication.
At this point the chorus is trying to diffuse a brewing conflict. A major character flaw that Oedipus has is that he can’t let the situation diffuse. He keeps pushing whom ever he argues with and usually ends up threatening death. That could be triggered by the prophecy that has been on his life. All the maneuvers he has made is because of his fate. His fate controls his emotions so much that he fulfills everything in the prophecy. His temper on display in this scene, the chorus trying to diffuse the conflict to no avail. He was doomed to fail. I wonder if things would have been different for him had he never known about the prophecy.