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In Oedipus the King, the Chorus acts as the Theban elders in order to provide a foil to the
other characters, especially Oedipus. In the Second Ode, we can see the Chorus act as an objective
character in dealing with the situation that has arisen. The Chorus hindered any fallacious
sentences until all of the facts became clear to everyone. In this part, the Chorus has defended
Oedipus against the accusations of the seer Tiresias, giving the argument that Oedipus was the
savior of the city and would have no reason to bring any misfortune to the city; later, the Chorus
also defends Creon against Oedipus’ accusation of a coup.
Two allusions are made in the Strophe I, though the interpretations may be varied. It talks
about the murderer and how he must flee from the son of Zeus and from the Fates. The son of Zeus
is very likely to be referring to Apollo, as he is the god of Light and is also mentioned later on.
The funny fact is that in this part, caparisoned is used to describe the god, so it makes the readers
relate to a horse.(Figure 1) The other, “the pack of sure-footed Fates,” is most likely referring to
the prophecies, as there are only Three Fates and they do not track down people. According to the
context clues, the Chorus is condemning the person who killed Laius and cursing them to meet
their (doomed) destiny designed by the Fates.
Again in Antistrophe I, another allusion to Apollo is made. The Parnassian snow and light
are again referring to Apollo, as the Parnassian Mountain (Figure 2) are location just north of
Delphi and sacred to Apollo and the “Voice” is also Apollo’s (Figure 3). This strophe is talks
about how the god would hunt down the killer, who is like a lost bull. This part is foreshadowing
the fate of Oedipus, as in the end he ends up just like the bull- “[limping], lost and alone.”
In Strophe II, the important motif of blindness occurs. In the part, “all blind for today and
blind for tomorrow” is potentially referring back to Oedipus. “Today,” Oedipus is blinded by his
hubris and belief that he will be able to find out the truth about every, and “tomorrow,” his becomes
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visually impaired from his pride. Though perhaps not meant to be this way, this passage carries a
double meaning of advising Oedipus.
In the last part, Antistrophe II, the Chorus uses reasoning to defend Oedipus. It recounts
the feats of Oedipus and his actions to help the city. Also, it states one of the most basic rules of
the law- that one is not guilty until proven so, thus the Chorus asks the seer to provide solid
evidence. Though in this Choral Ode we may see the Chorus as biased towards Oedipus by defend
him, they are not doing so just because he is the savior and hero of the city. The Chorus is doing
their “job” of upholding the law, and they are defending the innocent until the innocent is proved
guilty. As we read on to later parts, we find that this impartiality also extend to other characters
such as Creon.
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Figure 2 Ruins of Temple at Delphi
Figure 1
Figure 3 Apollo
Bibliography
1. Figure 1- http://pldh.net/dex/sprites/rapidash
2. Figure 2- http://hyperionzoomlover.blogspot.tw/2011/03/delphi-in-greece-omphalosnavel.html
3. Figure 3- http://www.greek-mythology-pantheon.com/apollo-greek-god-of-light-music-andpoetry/