The Chorus

The chorus in Oedipus is like Oedipus’ friend. The chorus seems to, not exactly, take Oedipus’ side, but when Oedipus’ odds are not in his favor, the chorus doesn’t seem to stray far from his side. Oedipus even calls the Chorus his friends after the chorus goes to him and says “Dreadful, what you’ve done…” Talking about how Oedipus gouged his eyes out. Oedipus responds, “what love, what call of the heart can touch my ears with joy? Nothing, friends.Take me away, far, far, from Thebes, quickly, cast me away, my friends--”(l. 1475-1478). Oedipus feels like he can rely on the chorus for honesty and advice such as a friend would. The chorus told Oedipus, “how can I say you’ve chosen for the best? Better to die than be alive and blind” just like how one friend would be honest and tell the other friend that their decision might not have been the best and further input their opinion (l.1497-1498). Oedipus then pushes their opinion away when he says, “What I did was best--don’t lecture me, no more advice”(l. 1499-1500).

In general, the chorus was sympathetic for all the poor events that happened in Oedipus’ recent history.  After hearing that Oedipus was the killer, the chorus starts weeping, “now I weep like a man who wails the dead…”(l. 1346).  After seeing Oedipus with his gouged-out eyes, the chorus sadly realizes that Oedipus suffers twice, they tell him “you suffer twice over, the pain of your wounds, the lasting grief of pain”(l. 1457-1458).