I chose chorus lines, 181-185.
The chorus speaks,
“What is the sweet spoken word of God from the Shrine of Pytho rich in gold
that has come to glorious Thebes?
I am stretched on the rack of doubt, and terror and trembling hold
my heart, O Delian Healer, and I worship full of fears for what doom you will bring to pass, new or renewed in the revolving years
Speak to me, immortal voice,
child of golden Hope”.
In the first two lines (181,182), the chorus is calling out in confusion. The chorus has yet to understand the “sweet” message given to them and the deadly plague that has taken place upon Thebes. (The usage of beautiful language can be found in the word “sweet” as it is used to hide the actual truth of how the chorus feels about the message sent to them).
Lines (183-185) The chorus filled with fear, calls out with desperation to the “O Delian Healer” (Born on the island of Delos, Apollo’s title was “healer”; he caused and averted plagues) Also known as Apollo, to answer this confusion for them. The chorus expresses how unease and alarmed they are that they cry in desperation. They hope for the “child of golden Hope” to answer and guide them. As they are so afraid to do anything, they will continue to pray and hope for this torment to be alleviated by the gods.
One thought on “Marisol Cruz Varela Discussion 2”
Marisol, yes, and it is important to note how faithful to the gods the ancient Greeks were. In this song, they express their terror and doubt about what will happen next and in the years to come.