The Chorus In Oedipus
The Greek tragedy, Oedipus the King, instills in the audience a participatory element by virtue of the
Chorus and its interluding stasima that acts as internal commentary; an agent, giving advice,
warning, questioning as they look to Oedipus to take actions. So, in many ways, they are agents of
action yet they are aware of their own limitations and their questioning. They are elders in this play,
as they conduct questioning and reconciliation of what Oedipus thinks and what he stands for. The
chorus also serves to "establish ethica framework, setting up standard by which action will be
judged" (Chorus–Oedipus, 2008, p. 15). The chorus does this through their inquisitive language
which oftentimes is shocking and very emotional, which adds tension and drama to the framework
of the play. This paper will discuss how Sophocles uses the chorus as a dramatic instrument for
suspense, of irony and of contrast.
The Chorus is a very important part of Sophocles' famous play Oedipus the King "For example, in
Parodos (Oedipus the King, lines 151–212), the Chorus evokes a series of gods for help, describing
the bad conditions in Thebes and then asks Zeus to defend Thebes from Ares, the war god (Oedipus
the King, lines 170–202). They utter in fear to the Gods, "my fearful heart twists on the ... Show
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Through the Chorus Sophocles is able to add a great deal of suspense, irony and contrast to the
story. They are the commentary, the advisors, the questioners, the conscience, the fearful and the
ignorant. They are also very powerful stage openers as they introduce characters that are about to
approach Oedipus. Overall, the chorus keeps the audience feeling that Oedipus is not alone because
the communal voice of the chorus is guiding his actions and reactions during the unfolding of the
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