IEP #08 Cindy
The choral ode plays an important role in ancient Greek plays. It sets the mood
of the plays, interprets the themes, gives background information, and comments on
the incidents happening in the play. Following the fourth episode, where Oedipus digs
out all the truth and finally finds out the miasma of Thebes, the Chorus comments on
the fact that Oedipus is the murderer of Laius and the pollution of the city, feels both
pity and also disgust for Oedipus in the fifth choral ode. They know that it was
Oedipus’ unavoidable fate to murder his father and marry his mother, but still feel
disgusted by the fact that he actually slept with his mother and even has children
together. The pessimistic tone of the choral ode reveals that the Chorus is mourned for
Oedipus’ bad fortune, and that it was the God (fate) and his arrogance, which bring
him to his downfall.
At the beginning of Strophe I, the Chorus describes Oedipus’ life as “vanity and
nothingness,” which shows one of his hamartia—arrogance. His hubris makes him try
to defy the prophecy of gods but he ends up doing what he feared the most. All the
effort he had done throughout the play all lead him to follow what the oracle said.
However, not until the last did Oedipus realize that fate is inevitable, and that it is no
use to try to escape from destiny. “Is there one, one who more than tastes of, thinks of,
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happiness, which in the thinking vanishes?” Being as the king of Thebes and Corinth,
and being praised as “first of men and consummate,” Oedipus is superior to anyone
else. His life seems to be perfect since he is wiser, had two kingdoms, a beautiful wife,
and several children. Yet, the perfection is actually a huge mistake, which is also
another factor that causes Oedipus’ failure. Unconsciously following the prophecy,
Oedipus unintentionally killed his father, Laius, who is also the King of Thebes, and
married the Queen, who is also his mother. At last, the Chorus stated all these
mistakes happened to Oedipus present his “pattern of unblessedness.”
In Antistrophe I, the Chorus mentions Zeus “struck and toppled down the
griffin-taloned death knell witch” to bring Oedipus down. Griffins (Image1) are beasts
with head and wings of eagles and body of lions, which are also been called “The
Hounds of Zeus” in ancient Greek. Griffins also symbolize divine power. Griffins
“soared above the rotting shambles” are like the Gods watching Oedipus fighting
against his fate and people in Thebes suffering through the disasters and doing
nothing to help them. The imagery is like the famous photograph “The Starving of
Sudan,” which the vulture waiting behind the starving little girl to demise (Image 2).
In Strophe II, the Chorus states that although Oedipus always “sees where justice
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sits as judge,” he is blind of the obvious connection even if the facts are piling against
him (Image 3). For example, the audiences can associate Jocasta’s pinned-foot son
with Oedipus’ swollen foot while Oedipus does not even have a clue of it. The
unawareness of the characters has moved the plot forward and makes the tragedy even
worse. “Your unwed wedding’s done,” indicates that when Oedipus thought that he
could run away from the prophecy if he doesn’t went back to Corinth and marry
Merope, but actually he had already married his real mother, Jocasta. “Out of sight
what sight might not have seen” shows the pity and the hatred toward Oedipus. Even
though understanding the prophecy, they still cannot accept the truth.
In Oedipus the King, the choral odes help to tie the whole story together. In the
fifth choral ode, the Chorus stands on the perspective of the elders and comments on
what happened in the fourth episode. They show their compassion and disgust for
Oedipus and moves the plot along to the next step of Jocasta and Oedipus—hanged
herself and blind himself.
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Image 1
http://adjl.wikia.com/wiki/File:Griffin.gif
Image 2
http://prateekchandrajha.wordpress.com/2012/06/10/suffering-as-a-metaphor-2/
Image 3
http://big5.gmw.cn/g2b/tech.gmw.cn/2013-02/04/content_6615895_4.htm