Oedipus The King-A Tangled Web We Weave Essay, Research Paper

The choir represents the voice of the people, the voice of the masses.

People often conform to this uniform truth, they want to be like other people. This conformation leads to a uniform voice from the public. This voice is often

ignorant to the truth, seemingly to the point that it creates its own truth. This is seen often in Oedipus the King, by Sophocles. They believe that Oedipus is godly, even when they have found out that he is the cause of their plague. It is not until the end that their haze of false truth clears, and they turn against Oedipus.

The idea that the people speak with a unified voice is seen whenever they speak. Never does one individual stray from this one voice. This is seen in the Strophes and Antistrophes, the choir speaks as a whole. At the start of the, the choir shows unquestioning faith in Oedipus. They believe that he is godly, that since he ended the Sphinx s reign of terror, that he would stop the plague. They believed this without question, they had no doubts that Oedipus would find a cure. They even came to Oedipus with olive boughs all wreathed in woe, the same way one would go to a altar when they wanted something urgently. This shows their faith in Oedipus.

This faith blinds them to the truth. When they find out that it could be Oedipus that is the cause of the plague, they still follow Oedipus blindly. They do not see the truth, they create their own. They become so deeply entwined in their own web of falls truths, that they do not realize what is really happening. They do not believe the Oracle, Show me the man speaking stone from Delphi damned shows their disbelief in the oracle. This further reinforces their false truths, their blind faith toward Oedipus. Eventually this haze of false truths clears, and they see reality.

Even when they are confronted with the truth, they follow Oedipus. When

Oedipus is pondering whether or not he could have killed King Laius, they encourage Oedipus. But wait until you ve heard the witness speak. Have hope,

this shows their faith in Oedipus. Your Laius prophecies are turned to lies

shows their belief in the oracle. They feel he is lying, and continue their praise of Oedipus. This belief does not last forever, the web of false truths dissipates, and they see Oedipus for who he really is.

When they finally realize that it is Oedipus that is causing the plague and misery, they turn on him. They see their way through their own blind faith. Their lost faith can be seen in I see it in you Oedipus: Man s pattern of unblessedness. Once they have realized that Oedipus is lost, they turn against him. In the end they say We wish we had never known you, this shows in a simple form, how they feel about Oedipus. They even wish for his death in Better to live no longer.

The role of the choir in this story is that of the public. It shows how public belief can be blind, but can also be swayed. This is seen throughout the play. In the beginning they support Oedipus with blind faith. This blind faith leads to false truths so they can believe in their faith. After they have followed these false truths for long enough, they lose track of reality. Once this occurs, they fully believe in the false truths that they have created. It is a tangled web they weave. This play also presents the idea that ignorance is bliss. Had Oedipus not gone to the oracles, he would not have murdered his parents. It can also be seen that if his true parents

had not gone to the oracle, he may have killed his father anyway. So I leave you with this, “When ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise.”