Oedipus the King Essay

One of the most burning(prenominal) literary devices employ by Sophocles in his move Oedipus the King is what is kn testify to modern critics as the Greek Chorus. The chorus line was an authorized part of Greek tragedy, not just now in the plays of Sophocles, simply in the work of many other playwrights as vigorous. Sophocles, in addition to incorporating well-known myths and historical motifs into his play, used the chorus as an additional method by which to ensure the auditory modalitys concord of the execution on the stage.He overly used the chorus to ease the listening to feel a adept of a participation in the pull through of the play and to direct their sense of the plot and to focus the audiences sympathy on appropriate characters. The use of the chorus in Greek tragedy was, as mentioned, a common literary device, but Sophocles is well known for being a creative adapter of conventions and in his hands, the chorus functions in myriad capacities, some obvious an d some subtle.In order to appreciate the importance of the chorus in a play like Oedipus the King, it is crucial to first have an understanding of how the chorus conventionally functioned in Greek tragedy. Physi discovery, the chorus was made up of an anonymous sort out of fifteen (Taplin 12) who, in addition to functioning as characters within the play, proper, overly participated in the orchestra, providing musical accompaniment on the aulos, a double organ pipe with reeds the aulos-player stood in the orchestra, to a fault in tragic costume (Taplin 12).The chorus also chanted, snag, and danced the choral odes which divide the acts of tragedy (Taplin 12) while occasionally vocalizing or chanting in lyric communication with the actors (Taplin 12) . In addition to these roles, the traditional chorus also featured a leader the koryphaios, probably magisterial slightly by costume (Taplin 12) who might also contribute dialogue to the play. Furthermore, the chorus held a con notation for Greek audiences which is all but unknowable to modern observers and this connotation relates to the presence of chorale bodies of chorus-like arrangements in everyday Greek society.Even the rudimentary aspects of the chorus in its theatrical incarnation singing and dancing, held for the Greeks, a very different social and cultural resonance than for moderns. In Greek life, a chorus was an integral part of many common occasions, religious and secularfestivals, weddings, funerals, victory celebrations, (Taplin 13) and the chorus also helped to l annul a sense of ritual and ceremony to all festive occasions in Greek life (Taplin 13).As such, the chorus as a literary device held for the Greeks in relation to theater a prominent and important place in the performance as a whole (Taplin 13). The differentiation between ancient and modern observers is a very important note to make when discussing the Greek chorus as a literary device. preferably simply, for the modern o bserver, the best understanding of the function of the chorus may well be that the modern observer should regard the chorus as a kind of bridge between the mythical fill of the play and the audience who observes this action.In fact some critics assert that this bridge role was also mean by Greek playwrights who used the chorus and specifically intended to be used this way by Sophocles in Oedipus the King. For these critics, the chorus represents an idealistic spectator that directs our thought and attention (Hogan 44) and this is an intentional function of the chorus as a literary device as adopted by Sophocles. Obviously, in its function as a bridge between the audience and the action on the stage, the chorus in Oedipus the King plays a pivotal, rather than decorative role.For good example, in relating a sense of irony to the audience, the chorus is used by Sophocles specifically On three occasions (Hogan 21) to provide a central point of ironic realization on the audiences b ehalf. Therefore, when Oedipus defends his naturalness both he and the chorus of Athenians remain profoundly sensitive to the taint that still clings (Hogan 21) while, similarly, when Oedipus rationalizes the murder (Hogan 21) he invokes the sense of the chorus-as-court-of-law.The irony, of course, being that both the chorus and the audience are sympathetic to the plight of Oedipus just as it is hoped on Oedius behalf that A court of law would be sympathetic (Hogan 21). Another example is when Oedipus speaks to the chorus and says I pray deity that the unseen killer, whoever he is, and whether he killed alone or had help, be cursed with a life as evil as he is, a life of utter serviceman deprivation. (Sophocles 28, 297-300).Here, the coryphaeus, or leader of the chorus, also speaks lines which, ironically, indicate that he is thinking of the killer, who is untold nearer for questioning than he knows (Hogan 36). Each of these uses of the chorus by Sophocles heightens the sense of irony in the play while simultaneously promoting a sense of audience involvement and, obviously, forwarding the plot of the tragedy. The chorus is exceptionally important as a device in helping to direct the action of the play to and through the climax. The verbal interplay between Oedipus and the chorus increases near the end of the play.By inspecting Oedipus words (and to the Chorus) during the final part of the play, we will check out what beliefs and allegiances have survived (Sophocles 14) and what little glimmer of redemption can be give tongue to to exist in the plays tragic climax and viewing can be gleaned from the words of the chorus, which close the play. Although Oedipus closing speeches are make full with pain and lamentation, the human world remains to him as he hears the vowelize of the Chorus. Clarity and poise return as he tells the Chorus it was Apollo who undone his life, but that it was he and no one else who chose to strike out his own eyes (Sophocles 14).The chorus,then, emerges as the target Oedipuss confession and the implied target of the lesson of his story. The audience, of course, is the chorus and vice-versa, so that the closing lines of the play Dont call a man gods friend until he has develop through life and crossed over into death never having been gods victim (Sophocles 67, 1765-1766) emerge as the cathartic lesson distilled from the mythic action of the story, by way of the chorus, to enrich the audiences understanding.Works Cited Hogan, crowd together C. A Commentary on the Plays of Sophocles. Carbondale, IL Southern Illinois University Press, 1991. Sophocles. Oedipus the King. Trans. Robert Bagg. Amherst, MA University of mammy Press, 1982. Taplin, Oliver. Greek Tragedy in Action. London Routledge, 2003.