Oedipus The King: Fallibility Of The Chorus And The Role Of Pride

Oedipus Rex: Fallibility of the Chorus and the role of pride:

Chorus and its role:

The chorus was part of Greek plays. They were a group of about thirteen or fifteen masked men who spoke all at the same time. The masks created a sense of unity. Their purpose was to comment on what was happening in the play, and help the audience understand background information, to provide wisdom and knowledge in the play. However, the words of the chorus cannot be considered absolute, for the chorus merely represents the audience themselves, who are normal human beings just like the characters. The wisdom of the chorus can be owed to the fact that they are not directly involved in the play. Hence they provide clear insight and opinions on the matter without them being influenced by personal emotions. This can be supported by the fact that both Oedipus and Jocasta were blind towards the obvious truth that was in front of them. This could be blamed to the guilt and burden that was buried deep in their minds. In a contrast, the chorus can predict consequences of the characters’ actions beforehand with a clear and steady mind. Oedipus, blinded by his pride and outrage, considers punishing Creon for conspiring against him. It is Choragos, head of the

The Greeks believed that pride or hubris will in time be paid back. That being said, pride alone cannot be held responsible for all the chaos in the story. It plays its part to a great extent but other factors – like fate, bad decisions on his parents’ behalf, ignorance of the obvious truth – all play a role in the tragedy. His first bad decision in the play i.e accusing Creon of betrayal was a result of his ignorance towards the fact. When he argued with the old blind Prophet, Teiresias, his anger forced him to say harsh words. And of course, the original sin, killing his father the King, was an outcome of his rage and