Week 6 Discussion

Antistrophe First I call on you, Athene, deathless daughter of Zeus, and Artemis, Earth Upholder, 190 who sits in the midst of the market place in the throne which men call Fame, and Phoebus, the Far Shooter, three averters of Fate, come to us now, if ever before, when ruin rushed upon the state, you drove destruction’s flame away out of our land. Strophe 195 Our sorrows defy number; all the ship’s timbers are rotten; taking of thought is no spear for the driving away of  the plague There are no growing children in this famous land; there are no women bearing the pangs of childbirth. 200 You may see them one with another, like birds swift on the wing, quicker than fire unmastered, speeding away to the coast of the Western God.14 Overall the chorus promotes peace in the entire play. But in this, Antistrophe is praying to three gods and calls for Zeus and Artemis and Athene and he asks them to protect him/ for protection from death. To keep death and destruction away from the land

We have sayings as if your courage will not exist if you have any fear in thee.  You have this guy Oedipus that may be nuts or be in mitts of dementia in his time.  By them saying this that he whatever he tries to do or accomplish he will fail.  Sounds familiar to the leaders of our country today.  Any way we then have another so called man Kronos that is so callous and afraid that he will be controlled by his children that he has them killed and eats them. Then all hail the so-called gods taking revenge on him and killing all.  From reading this you then have this guy Oedipus that is somehow painted as a murderer, and he is somehow responsible for stopping a mystical thing of some kind with some so-called riddles.  This reading wants you realize that is hatred and disalliance within the story creating drams.

In the ancient Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King the following line is sung by the Chorus: CHORUS: Here comes his prosecutor: led by your men the godly prophet comes 325 in whom alone of mankind truth is native. Although short, it is a beautifully written passage. It is meant to emphasize the relevance Teiresias, the prophet, holds in their society. According to the Chorus’ line “in whom alone of mankind truth is native”, he is the only one who knows the truth about anything in the world as he is omniscient. His word cannot be questionable the the weight it holds is akin to a law, therefore they refer to him as a “prosecutor”. The Chorus call him “godly”, showcasing how, in this ancient society, prophets were regarded as at least partly divine individuals.

That is no wonder, master. But I’ll make him remember what he does not know. For I know, that he well knows the country of 1290 Cithaeron, how he with two flocks, I with one kept company for three years—each year half a year—from spring till autumn time and then when winter came I drove my flocks to our fold home again and he to Laius’ steadings. Well—am I right or not in what I said we did? HERDSMAN: You’re right—although it’s a long time ago. MESSENGER: Do you remember giving me a child 1296 to bring up as my foster child? HERDSMAN: What’s this? Why do you ask the question? MESSENGER: Look old man, 1300 here he is—here’s the man who was that child! HERDSMAN: Death take you! Won’t you hold your tongue? OEDIPUS: No, no, do not find fault with him, old man. Your words are more at fault than his. HERDSMAN: O best of masters, 1306 how do I give offense? This part shows that people back then would get killed for talking out of place. I also remember watching a Sparta movie that reminded me about this.

In line 319 the chorus says, “Yet if he has a share of fear at all, his courage will not stand firm, hearing your curse”. I think this line means that if Oedipus is not completely sound of mind, he will fail in his endeavors. Word like these would have probably led to him having growing doubts about his own character. It also recognizes fear as a defining force in his life, with the trauma coming from the problems with his father. Usually in stories about Greek mythology, one’s own fear leads them down the path that faith has decided. One example of this was when Kronos ate his children because he foresaw them ruling over him. His actions fully lead to the gods rebelling against him and killing all the titans. One with courage within themselves and their family would be able to change fate and lead their own lives.

The lines from the chorus that I’ve chosen to analyze from the reading “Oedipus the King” refers to the blind prophet Tiresias, who had refused to obey the king of Thebes, Oedipus, by helping him to find who killed his father. After he refuses to cooperate, Oedipus accuses the prophet as being one of the murderers of the king. Further, in a headed argument, Oedipus and Tiresias exchange feverous curses to one another.  On the lines 535-540, Tiresias says: “He shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his own house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both; a fellow sower in his father’s bed with that same father that he murdered.” Hence, the prophet not only condemns the king as the murderer of his own father, as he also curses Oedipus to a life of shame and sin, by taking his father’s place in the family and  being now the father of his brothers, and also laying down in the same bed as his own mom, while performing to be her husband.  Further, the chorus performs on the lines 560-575: “He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head. The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus.” Here, the chorus uses from a hyperbole “flutter around his head” […]

Antistrophe First I call on you, Athene, deathless daughter of Zeus, and Artemis, Earth Upholder, 190 who sits in the midst of the market place in the throne which men call Fame, and Phoebus, the Far Shooter, three averters of Fate, come to us now, if ever before, when ruin rushed upon the state, you drove destruction’s flame away out of our land.   The scene sounds as if Oedipus is dead and has found relief in his death. The ability of the chorus to make people feel the emotions of the characters and create a magnificent and large-scale effect of tragedy is deeply noticeable from the first to the last line of the work. He’s purpose is to create an atmosphere of tension and emphasize the effects of tragedy so that the reader can understand the essence of the play. Oedipus is known for his compassion, sense of justice, quick thinking and acting, and honesty. 

“If I am a prophet and wise of heart you shall not fail, Cithaeron, 1245 by the limitless sky, you shall not!— to know at tomorrow’s full moon that Oedipus honors you, as native to him and mother and nurse at once; and that you are honored in dancing by us, as finding But I account myself a child of Fortune, beneficent Fortune, and I shall not be dishonored. She’s the mother from whom I spring; the months, my brothers, marked me, now as small favor in sight of our king. 1250 Apollo, to whom we cry, Find these things pleasing!” While reading this line from the reading I noticed a lot of great language that was being used but the main idea of it all was that Oedipus is being told by the greats that he is very lucky and that if they remain next to his side for a good amount of time their will be no time for him to be a failure and that tomorrows moon will be a honor to him from them to show him the amount of respect they have for him and to express the type of great person he is idolizing himself infront of them to be, Oedipus’s reaction to this is of him being very grateful and respectful as he continues on to say that these actions are not just for him but the people who are around him.

The section from the chorus i decided on is 540-580 ” who is the man proclaimed by Delphi’s prophetic rock as the bloody handed murderer. The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus”. Teiresias is referred as the fate teller when he is the one who is responsible for indicating what happens to Oedipus. No one can comprehend how Oedipus is involved with the suffering that happens in the future when he is the responsible ruler for stopping Sphinx with the well known riddles. Oedipus was an exemplary character due to his help for the city, which is why it was others who were shocked and fearful that they would paint him as a killer.

CHORUS: This is a terrible sight for men to see! I never found a worse! 1490 Poor wretch, what madness came upon you! What evil spirit leaped upon your life to your ill-luck—a leap beyond man’s strength! Indeed I pity you, but I cannot look at you, though there’s much I want to ask 1495 and much to learn and much to see. I shudder at the sight of you.   In this passage, the line “What evil spirit leaped upon your life to your ill-luck-a leap beyond man’s strength!” shows the literary device known as hyperbole. Following with “I shudder at the sight of you”, this line may explain the possible exasperation Chorus has. This passage explains how Chorus is feeling towards Oedipus, expressing irritation and maybe even a bit of fury towards him and his actions. To express this, Chorus begun with “Poor wretch, what madness came upon you!”. This may state that Oedipus is blindsighted by negative emotions, and Chorus clearly seeing this.

why do you sit here with your suppliant crowns?2 the town is heavy with a mingled burden of sounds and smells, of groans and hymns and incense; 5 I did not think it fit that I should hear of this from messengers but came myself,– I Oedipus whom all men call the Great. This part explains “language enhanced by varying beauties.” and is an irony because of the way Oedipus uses that sentence to describe him and his children. At first, he said “Why do you sit… crown?(not sure what that means)” then “groans and hymns and incense” it seems like his children are wearing that crown for nothing because if the town is under peace and calm why do they wear that suppliant crowns? could it be all illusion? or is it just to certify something to help people?. Second part where the irony begins because their father(Oedipus) calls himself the great(in my way of understanding he might rule this place and everyone is being themself no chaos or anything), but with the first parts adds up. It is like they are challenging the father(Oedipus), so he is pretty mad now.

The purpose of the Oedipus King’s Choir is to create an atmosphere of tension and emphasize the effects of tragedy so that the reader can understand the essence of the play. Oedipus is known for his compassion, sense of justice, quick thinking and acting, and honesty. In this early stage of the play, Oedipus expresses what the Athenian masses, or even all masses, want of their citizens or leaders. In his first speech to an old priest who himself struggles to alleviate suffering, he constantly expresses his concern for the health and well-being of his people. The chorus may not tell you about a full-fledged character with a distinctive face and mannerisms, but it sets the tone of the story and adds tension to the difficult moments. Witnessing this would be the final step and appeal to the listener’s complete despair to complete the message. Oedipus is shocked and discouraged that the investigation into the king’s murder ended too soon (145-147). When Oedipus learns of the sufferings of his people and the unsolved murder of Leo, he is quick to panic, anticipating the chorus’s preferences and expecting someone to send someone to the Oracle and call forth Tiresias.

The passage I will analyze is (161-176). Before doing so, Oedipus insisted that all his people listen to what the oracle had to say, although Creon suggested that Oedipus should listen to him in private. When Creon retells the story of Laius’s murder, Oedipus is shocked and dismayed that the investigation into the king’s murder was dropped so quickly. Oedipus quickly made plans to deal with the suffering of his people and the unsolved murder of Laius, even anticipating the choir’s suggestion to send someone to the oracle and summon Teiresias. Finally, Oedipus strongly promises severe punishment for Laius’s murderer, even if the murderer is someone close to Oedipus himself. Oedipus’s frequent references to foresight and blindness create many moments of dramatic irony, as the audience knows that it is Oedipus’s metaphorical blindness about the relationship between his past and his present situation that ruins him. When the old priest told Oedipus that Thebes had died of the plague, Oedipus said that he could not help but see it.

The aim of the chorus in Oedipus the King is to create an atmosphere of tension and emphasize the effect of tragedy which will help the reader delve into the essence of the drama. Although the chorus cannot be called a full-fledged character with a unique personality and habits, it sets the narrative’s tone and increases the degree of tension in difficult moments. The proof of this will be the final scene, where the chorus addresses its message, full of despair, to the listeners: “Count no mortal happy till he has passed the final limit of his life secure from pain” (Oedipus the King, 2012, line 1727). The scene sounds as if Oedipus is dead and has found relief in his death. In fact, readers understand that Oedipus must be alive and in absolute ignorance of what to do and where to move on. The ability of the chorus to make people feel the emotions of the characters and create a magnificent and large-scale effect of tragedy is deeply noticeably from the first to the last line of the work.

Priest Lines 63-65  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 65 when empty, and none live in it together.   Oedipus is warned by the Priest. This also means that the chorus never leaves the stage during the play, and so Oedipus is continually surrounded by his people, reminding us that what happens to him has consequences for the entire city. As a result, the ship of Thebes is losing its helmsman while Oedipus is realizing the nature of his connection with his mother and being a misery of man.   When Creon returns from Delphi after consulting with the Oracle, he informs Oedipus that God has ordered the city to be cleansed. Since it is murder guilt that binds our city in this destructive tempest, the “rite of purification” will be carried out “by banishing a man, or expiation of blood by blood” (Lines 14-15). The gods, or the God, appear to be plainly presenting a choice of punishments—banishment, which entails exile, or some type of bloodletting, which may or may not include death. In any case, when Oedipus goes into exile and blinds himself, he fulfills both of those penalties. 

Antistrophe First I call on you, Athene, deathless daughter of Zeus, and Artemis, Earth Upholder, 190 who sits in the midst of the market place in the throne which men call Fame, and Phoebus, the Far Shooter, three averters of Fate, come to us now, if ever before, when ruin rushed upon the state, you drove destruction’s flame away out of our land.   In this passage, line 188; Antistrophe is praying to three gods: he calls upon Athene, the immortal daughter of Zeus and Artemis, her sister Earth Upholder. Who keeps her famous throne in the market ring, asking the Gods to descend, for protection against death. In a time of grief and darkness, as in the old time you stepped up and saved the land. Come again and save us.

Strophe  195 Our sorrows defy number;  all the ship’s timbers are rotten; taking of thought is no spear for the driving away of the plague  There are no growing children in this famous land;  there are no women bearing the pangs of childbirth.  200 You may see them one with another, like birds swift on the wing,  quicker than fire unmastered,  speeding away to the coast of the Western God.   The chorus sings about their experience in the plague. The plague they were referring to was one that devastated Athens during the Peloponnesian war. The illness ravaged the city when it was at its peak, leaving it in turmoil. Line 195 explains how sorrowful the people were. And they go on to sing about how the plague affected their population. People were dying at alarming rates. Lines 200-202 shows that people were dying fast, like quicks birds flying towards “the coast of the Western God”,  the Western God is seen as death since the sun sets in the west. A simile when the people were compared to a “bird swift on the wing” to give the audience an idea of how fast they were dying as a result of the plague.

The lines from the chorus that I’ve chosen to analyze from the reading “Oedipus the King” refers to the blind prophet Tiresias, who had refused to obey the king of Thebes, Oedipus, by helping him to find who killed his father. After he refuses to cooperate, Oedipus accuses the prophet as being one of the murderers of the king. Further, in a headed argument, Oedipus and Tiresias exchange feverous curses to one another.  On the lines 535-540, Tiresias says: “He shall be proved father and brother both to his own children in his own house; to her that gave him birth, a son and husband both; a fellow sower in his father’s bed with that same father that he murdered.” Hence, the prophet not only condemns the king as the murderer of his own father, as he also curses Oedipus to a life of shame and sin, by taking his father’s place in the family and  being now the father of his brothers, and also laying down in the same bed as his own mom, while performing to be her husband.  Further, the chorus performs on the lines 560-575: “He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head. The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus.” Here, the chorus uses from a hyperbole “flutter around his […]

“There is no clash of brazen shields, but our fight is with the War God” (Sophocles, line 211) is a metaphor to describe the people’s struggle with the blight that was due to a curse born from the past sin of a man. “a War God ringed with the cries of men, a savage God who burns us”(212) describes the pain and suffering of those who are stricken with the plague. “grant that he turn in racing course backwards out of our country’s bounds to the great palace of Amphitrite or where the waves of the Thracian sea deny the stranger safe anchorage.”(213-214) is a metaphor using beautiful imagery to describe what the people desire. They wish for a sound victory in which they drive the plague from their lands. The clever use of metaphor and imagery makes for a beautiful passage. It entertainingly describes the conflict for us and sparks our imaginations.

The chorus, in “Oedipus the King” by David Grene, are an important role throughout the play. One passage by the chorus states ” One man may pass another in wisdom but I would never agree with those that find fault with king till I should see the word proved right beyond doubt. For once in visible from the Sphinx came on him and all of us saw his wisdom and in that test he saved the city. So he will not be condemned by my mind.” This passage is from lines 583-592 of the play. The meaning behind these quotes is that the chorus is confused about the accusations of Oedipus. Since the chorus is loyal to the king they stand with him unless there is evidence that proves he’s guilty. But some members of the chorus can’t help to question the King’s innocence. They are conflicted with having faith in the gods and choosing to believe in reasoning.

In the reading of Oedipus the king, translated by David Grene, the passage that I selected is “I know that what the Lord Teiresias sees, is most often what the Lord Apollo sees. If you should inquire of this from him you might find out most clearly.” (304-307). According to the chorus, Teiresias is on the level of the god of Apollo in relying on the truth, After sending his brother in law Creon to speak to the god Apollo to stop the plague, Apollo’s request was to find the killer of King Laius in order to stop the plague, the chorus then suggests Teiresias, and after Oedipus persistence, Teiresias revealed that it was Oedipus that he killed the King. The chorus suggesting Teiresias to Oedipus created a shock factor in the story and revelation where King Oedipus was the “bad guy” in the story that caused to plague, which Oedipus denied.

“Lately from snowy Parnassus clearly the voice flashed forth, bidding each Theban track him down, the unknown murderer. In the savage forests he lurks and in the caverns like the mountain bull. He is sad and lonely, his feet that carry him far from the navel of earth; but its prophecies, ever living, flutter around his head” (Grene, line 553-563). The passage depicts a imagery of current situation that the murderer of Laius still alive in ongoing impunity. It uses simile that compares the murderer and “the mountain bull” to emphasize that the ugly features of the murderer will be finally found out. His reckless temper and behavior will be blown out when someone challenges him even though he lurks in the forests. The power between evil and justice in the imagery shows an enormous difference. The justice is accomplished by “bidding each Theban” while the evil is “sad and lonely”. It constantly reminds people that evil always does not oppress the righteous. Even if the murderer get aways from “the navel of earth” and no relationship with anything else, “prophecies” set by God will chain him forever. It also implies that different prophecies might have been achieved in the following scenes.

In the passage “Oedipus King Sophocles” by David Grene. Sung by the chorus, I have selected to discuss line (718-719) “His words are wise, king, if one fears to fall. Those who are quick-tempered are not safe.” The chorus warns Oedipus to be careful of Creon, who argues he didn’t kill Laius the king. Oedipus blames Creon for trying to overthrow him and blames him for the death of Lauis. Creon disliked rumors being spread about him in the murder “I heard deadly words spread about me, that the king accuses me. I cannot take that from him.” (591-595) Oedipus started blaming everyone for the death of his father to take the guilt off his mind. The chorus is the citizens of Thebes who create suspense by foreshadowing upcoming events. The chorus is foreshadowing when warning Oedipus and readers that Creon should not be trusted. The chorus refers to eyes throughout the text that symbolizes being blind to the truth “I have no eyes to see” (608-610) Oedipus covered up that he killed king Lauis, married his mother, and blamed the murder on everyone. Oedipus was blinded by his truth but the blind prophet knew he committed the murder. In the end, Oedipus removes his eyes after finding the light and seeking the truth. 

In the chorus lines 471-474 “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 meaning of this passage is to emphasize the importance of being able to speak honestly and factual without having to use negative emotion. In the second half of the chorus it is written that the words needed do not need to be angry but be right with God and on the right path. The people are hoping to hear out both parties and want to have a true and honest conversation; once over amounts of emotion and negative feelings are involved the dynamic of the truth can be shifted. When it is said “may best hit the God’s meaning for us” the usage of this language is direct and graceful, the phrase is set up this way to calm down the King and Teiresias. When words are delivered with kindness others are more likely to absorb the information and be more understanding.

In Oedipus The King lines “245 to me, yes, though he fears himself to take the blame on his own head; for bitter punishment he shall have none, but leave this land unharmed. or if he knows the murderer, another, a foreigner, still let him speak the truth.” The theme of this line would be guilt and shame. The death that happened no one wants to tell the truth about it and wants to keep it all a secret;however, some people arent strong enough to do that so they start to feel guilty, but they still remain quiet. in lines 250-260 I think the theme of that line would be power.

The Chorus plays a vibrant role in promoting peace in the above excerpt. The excerpt comes moments before Oedipus had passed a ruling to ban Creon from his Kingdom. In most cases, Chorus in ancient tragedies was lamenting after a terrible event.   Even though choruses did little to stop horrible things from happening, Oedipus the King illustrates a different situation because Chorus prevented King Oedipus from banishing Creon in the latter case. The Chorus achieves the latter objective by settling the differences between the two men. The rhetorical question is the most notable figurative language employed in the excerpt. The Chorus asks the King why he reacts so harshly to the queen. In addition to the rhetoric appeal, the passage illustrates the effective use of vivid descriptions of the scene. For instance, dead calm bursting into a storm of owes. The latter description creates a vivid picture of the tragedy associated with Oedipus` actions.

Antistrophe In the unnumbered death of its people the city dies; 205 those children that are born lie dead on the naked earth unpitied, spreading contagion of death; and gray-haired mothers and wives everywhere stand at the altar’s edge, suppliant, moaning; the hymn to the healing God15 rings out but with it the wailing voices are blended. From these our sufferings grant us, O golden Daughter of Zeus,16 210 glad-faced deliverance. The chorus is stating that their are many deaths in the city, including children. “Spreading contagion of death ” means a disease from a close contact of someone. This is probably what caused the numerous of deaths. There are old mothers who are begging at the alter. Their voices are heard by Apollo and they are seen as suffering people probably from all the deaths.  

“Strophe 195 Our sorrows defy number; all the ship’s timbers are rotten; taking of thought is no spear for the driving away of the plague There are no growing children in this famous land; there are no women bearing the pangs of childbirth. 200 You may see them one with another, like birds swift on the wing, quicker than fire unmastered, speeding away to the coast of the Western God.   14 Western God Since the sun sets in the west, this is the god of night, or Death.”   In this passage, the chorus is singing about the great despair that the kingdom is dealing with in response to the plague that they have had to endure. The first line “Our sorrows defy number” expresses that their sadness is immeasurable. Lines 198 – 199 explain that the children are not growing, therefore dying, and the women are not “bearing the pangs of childbirth” therefore the women are not able to conceive. Lines 200 – 202 are describing the rapid deaths of the people. Footnote numbered 14 explains that the “Western God” is considered to be the god of Death. These lines depict the people as “speeding away to the coast of the Western God” meaning they are travelling quickly towards death. Line 200 – 201 specifically express the speed with which the people are dying as “birds swift on the wing”, as in a bird flying swiftly and “quicker than fire unmastered”, meaning a fire that is spreading uncontrollably.

The portion I’ve chosen that the Chorus refers to is 564-577. “The augur has sown confusion, dreadful confusion; I neither approve nor deny what was uttered. I am at a loss for words; I have never heard of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, which I might use as evidence in undermining Oedipus’s popular popularity, seeking retribution for an unrecorded death in the Labdacus family.” They refer to the fate teller as Teiresias and are perplexed as to how someone who rescued them (Oedipus) could be depicted as the one who will eventually cause them more agony. They truly cannot grasp how Oedipus is connected to future pain because he has previously been a wonderful ruler who rescued the city from the Sphinx’s famed riddles. They are astounded at how this fate teller or augur can criticize Oedipus’ character. They are afraid of something horrible happening and are powerless to resist that worry. They are taken aback that Oedipus would be accused of assassinating the king and have developed a healthy paranoia as a result of the augur’s revelations.

The passage sung by the Chorus that I have selected to discuss is from lines 542 to 552: “who is the man proclaimed by Delphi’s prophetic rock as the bloody handed murderer, the doer of deeds that none dare name? Now is the time for him to run with a stronger foot than Pegasus for the child of Zeus leaps in arms upon him with fire and the lightning bolt, and terribly close on his heels are the Fates that never miss.” There is beauty in the image drawn by the figurative language used. Rather than saying “the murderer foretold by the Delphi’s rock,” Strophe uses words to evoke a feeling of malice. The simile about Pegasus impresses upon one the swiftness with which the murderer should take flight, and the image of the child of Zeus with fire and lightning bolt in hand really invokes a feeling of the justice and punishment to be meted. The usage of “the Fates that never miss” invokes an image of the Fates taking aim at the murderer with bow and arrow, as if he is being hunted. All of this together creates a vivid image in one’s head of an evildoer desperately trying to flee as he is being hunted down.

The passage I have selected that the Chorus mentions is 564-577 “The augur has spread confusion, terrible confusion; I do not approve what was said nor can I deny it. I do not know what to say; I am in a flutter of foreboding; I never heard in the present nor past of a quarrel between the sons of Labdacus and Polybus, that I might bring as proof in attacking the popular fame of Oedipus, seeking to take vengeance for undiscovered death in the line of Labdacus.” They call the fortune teller augur in this case Teiresias and are fairly confused to how someone who saved them (Oedipus) could be framed as the one who will eventually cause them more suffering. They truly cannot fathom how Oedipus has anything to do with future suffering when so far he has been a good ruler who had saved the city from the Sphinx with her famous riddles. They are shocked to how Oedipus’ character can be attacked by this fortune teller or augur. They are fearful of something bad happening and cannot ignore that feeling. They feel shocked that Oedipus would be accused of killing the king and are fairly paranoid now with the knowledge the augur brings.

The passage “Oedipus the King Sophocles” by David Grene. From the chorus, I have selected to analyze Oedipus. In the third section, we regain at least some of our sympathy for Oedipus, which we had lost during his ranting in the second. After Jocasta intervenes in the fight between Oedipus and Creon, Oedipus settles and remembers that he, as the ruler of Thebes, has a responsibility to answer a mystery. As a result, his questions become more focused than they were during his talks with Tiresias and Creon. In his speech at lines (848–923), Oedipus shows that he truly believes he killed Laius and is willing to accept not only the responsibility but the punishment for the act. The speech is heartbreaking because Oedipus has arrived at only half the truth. As we can see that Jocasta is careless and maternal because she tells Oedipus that the prophecies do not come true, and she uses the fact that an oracle incorrectly prophesied that Laius would be killed by his own son as evidence. The ode of the Chorus at lines (954–997), serves as a warning that neither Oedipus, Jocasta, nor the supportive audience should be at relaxed, because oracles speak to a purpose and are inspired by the gods who determine men’s fate. The Chorus had been miserable throughout the performance, wishing for the plague to end and the city to return to normal.

From the very beginning, what makes Oedipus ‘ actions in his quarrel with Teiresias and throughout the play so dramatically compelling, is the fact that the audience knows the outcome of the story. We know Oedipus ‘ fate even before he does, and there is no suspense about the outcome itself, instead, the audience anxiously awaits Oedipus to reveal his fate unto himself in his desperate quest to rid his city of the terrible plague, or maybe even more so, to simply discover his unfortunate tale. Oedipus is relentless in his pursuit of the truth, and his determination is commendable. There is nothing that compels him to act in this way, instead, he freely chooses, with much zeal, to initiate the chain of events that will ultimately lead to his downfall. The main dramatic irony in Oedipus the King contrasts Oedipus’s limited knowledge of his unfolding situation and how the audience is fully aware of it.

The passage by the chorus that I have selected to analyze was when Oedipus and the chorus shared a brief back and forth conversation regarding the best way to go about finding out who the murderer is.  In lines 319 & 320 the chorus states “Yet if he has a share of fear at all, his courage will not stand firm hearing your curse”.  Throughout the passage, I found it very troubling to debrief the lengthy and complex language used.  This passage was less difficult to comprehend than others.  It states that Oedipus should question Tieresias as even though he is a man of great power, scolding him may cause him to fold under pressure, aka, “his courage will not stand firm” especially because there is motive.  This is proven in the next few passages when Oedipus starts to question Tieresias as stated in lines 392-396 “For I would have you know I think you were complotter of the deed and doer of the deed save in so far 395 as for the actual killing. Had you had eyes I would have said alone you murdered him.”.