The passage “You that live in my ancestral Thebes, behold this Oedipus, — Him who knew the famous riddles and was a man most masterful; 1725 not a citizen who did not look with envy on his lot— see him now and see the breakers of misfortune swallow him! Look upon that last day always. Count no mortal happy till he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain” is the final statement of the Chorus. The passage tells us how the Chorus regards King Oedipus as an intelligent man, loved and respected by his subjects as he has given the kingdom and its citizens freedom by solving the riddle of the Sphinx. But after his true identity has been revealed and a horrible prophesy which not only his parents but himself tried to avoid is fulfilled, the citizens no longer see him as that man, but a man of misfortune and bad luck. Witnessing his accomplishments diminished, the Chorus concludes that we must not prematurely consider our happiness until the last days and come to the final limit of life that is secure from pain which can be interpreted as “death” since a dead man can feel no pain.
