“Once you have brought us luck with happy omen;
be no less now in fortune.
If you will rule this land, as now you rule it,
better to rule it full of men than empty.
For neither tower nor ship is anything
when empty, and none live in it together.”
(Chorus, Lines 60-65)
Due to the depth of its language and the significance it bore within the greater context of the play, this specific passage stuck out to me. In essence, the chorus is saying that ruling a prosperous, populated area is preferable to ruling one that is uninhabited. They commend Oedipus for his success in guiding Thebes so far and encourage him to carry on bringing wealth and riches to the city. They also express gratitude to Oedipus for his leadership. The imagery of the abandoned ship and tower serves to highlight the importance of coexisting with one another and cooperating for the benefit of society as a whole, in addition to emphasizing the importance of community and the necessity for members of a society to come together in order for a society to function.
One thought on “Ihab Gomaa Discussion 6”
Ihab, this is a great passage, and your analysis of it is excellent. You may have noticed that the metaphor of a ship is used frequently in the play. Oedipus is viewed as the master or captain of the ship as the ship is besieged by a terrible storm.