To entertain, explain, interpret and summarize are the functions of the chorus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).
Specifically, the chorus entertains by dancing across the stage and singing odes. The members explain the offstage, onstage and past events of the characters. They interpret the characters and their interactions. They summarize the happenings and have the last words in the play.
the Chorus leader
the Chorus leader
Apollo the sun god is the Delian Healer. Such is his description by the chorus. The reference is in the very first ode of 'Oedipus Rex'.
That it is better for him not to be born is the way in which the chorus leader responds to Oedipus' despair in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the leader of the chorus of Theban elders is there for the king. But things may change when gods become angry and kings fall. The leader observes that he wishes that he never had known Oedipus and that Oedipus never had been born.
The mood of the first chorus seems to be one of supplication and entreaty. The chorus wishes the pestilence that ravages Thebes to be ended. The members look to Theban King Oedipus as the problem solver.
the Chorus leader
the Chorus leader
The chorus says the last lines in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, one of the chorus' functions is summarizing the onstage events. The very last lines indeed do just that. The chorus concludes with the ironic observation that Oedipus knows how to solve the Sphinx's riddle but cannot solve the riddle of his own existence. The chorus then asserts that happiness is fleeting and that life is pain.
Apollo the sun god is the Delian Healer. Such is his description by the chorus. The reference is in the very first ode of 'Oedipus Rex'.
That it is better for him not to be born is the way in which the chorus leader responds to Oedipus' despair in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the leader of the chorus of Theban elders is there for the king. But things may change when gods become angry and kings fall. The leader observes that he wishes that he never had known Oedipus and that Oedipus never had been born.
The mood of the first chorus seems to be one of supplication and entreaty. The chorus wishes the pestilence that ravages Thebes to be ended. The members look to Theban King Oedipus as the problem solver.
It is for the unsolved murder of King Laius that Oedipus blames the chorus in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Theban King Oedipus finds out that he can end the pestilence in Thebes only by identifying and punishing the guilty in King Laius' murder. He looks first to the chorus for clues and information. But he makes it clear that he is cleaning up after them for not getting their jobs done right in the first place.
It is in careful defense of Creon that the chorus responds when Oedipus becomes angry with Creon in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the chorus characterizes Creon as reasonable. The members describe Theban King Oedipus as rash and uncontrolled. They suggest that Creon is behaving deferentially and sanely, in line with an individual fighting for his life against false charges.
The character of the chorus in 'Oedipus Rex' is supposed to be impartial. Both the chorus and the chorus leader are supposed to inform the other characters, as well as the reading and viewing audience, of necessary background to the story. They're supposed to summarize the course of events fairly, without prejudice, but with respect for the will of the gods and justice for mortals.
It is Jocasta that the chorus leader claims can settle the dispute between Oedipus and Creon in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, Creon cannot stop the argument that his brother-in-law Theban King Oedipus starts. The chorus leader cannot stop it either. But he is confident that Queen Jocasta, Creon's sister and Oedipus' conciliatory wife, can end it all.
That he is wise but not a god is what the chorus thinks of Teirsias in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, the chorus is as confused as Theban King Oedipus is by Teiresias the blind prophet's accusations. The members do not see anything in Oedipus' personal or professional life to warrant charges of criminal and questionable moral behavior. They suggest that prophets may be skilled but are not as perfect as gods.
No, the chorus does not admonish Oedipus to leave his wife in "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles (495 B.C.E. - 405 B.C.E.).Specifically, no one says anything to Theban King Oedipus about what to do about the body of Theban Queen Jocasta. It is Oedipus who takes the initiative. Creon is now King of Thebes, and Oedipus asks his brother-in-law, former enemy and royal colleague to give Jocasta a proper burial.