Oedipus The King

The 1st Stasimon in Sophocles' play 'Oedipus the King' is mainly showing the Chorus' confusion in regards to Tiresias' accusations made towards Oedipus. The Chorus seem terrified and powerless, and, like Oedipus, do not want to believe the accusations. They feel that the gods know the truth, yet will not reveal it, thus feeling as though the gods are of no real help. There are many issues and techniques to be discussed in regards to the 1st Stasimon, one of these being the significance of the section.

The real significance of the 1st Stasimon is that it shows the reader how much of a respected role model Oedipus is to the community of Thebes; they will not accuse him until true proof has been revealed about the incident. This can be shown from the third quote in the 1st Stasimon handout. It reads: "No, not till I see these charges proved will I side with his accusers." This shows that the Chorus considers Oedipus to be a true leader, and hence will follow him regardless. Another factor of significance in the first stasimon is that it shows the audience how the Chorus believes that Oedipus was brought to Thebes for a reason; this being to bring joy back into the city. The fourth quote in the handout is a good example of this: "We saw him then...with our own eyes his skill, his brilliant triumph - there was the test - he was the joy of Thebes!" Through this quote we can see admiration shown towards Oedipus due to his defeat against the Sphinx, and ridding the city from the curse. This brought joy back into the city, and turned Oedipus into a hero. Another issue raised in the 1st Stasimon was gender representation.

Gender representation played a minor role in the First Stasimon. In this section, all well respected people or gods were men; the only woman mentioned in the text was the Sphinx, whom was rather referred to as the 'she-hawk'. This can be seen in quote 7 in the 1st Stasimon handout. Hawks are considered to be evil birds, and are often in some texts considered to be possessed by the Devil, which shows that the Sphinx was not respected whatsoever, and was considered evil. Also, when the Chorus was trying to solve the question of who killed Laius, they basically ruled out the thought that the killer could be a woman. This can be seen in quote 6, which reads: "Who is the man the voice of god denounces?" This shows that nobody believes that a woman could ever have killed Laius, perhaps because physical strength would have been needed, and women were not expected to carry any physical strength. Had the chorus had thought that a woman may have killed Laius, they probably would have asked "who is the person the voice of god denounces?"

The issue of Inequality of Power was also raised in the 1st Stasimon. The great gods were considered to have the highest level of power, Oedipus being next, and the prophets and seers being the lowest of powers along with the Chorus. This can be seen in quote 8 on the 1st Stasimon handout, when the Chorus was trying to prove that Tiresias could not know the real truth. Quote 8 reads: "Zeus and Apollo know, they know, the great masters of all the dark and depth of human life. But whether a mere man can know the truth, whether a seer can fathom more than I..." This shows that the Chorus feels as though seers have the same power as the chorus, and therefore would know no better. However, they also see the gods to be of high power, and so would believe anything they say. The chorus sees Oedipus to be of higher power than them, as they call him their king. This can be seen through quote 9 on the handout, which reads "Never will I convict my king, never in my heart." Another issue to be discussed in the 1st Stasimon is Accusation, Distrust and Denial.

The whole Stasimon is based around the one main accusation; this being the accusation made towards Oedipus by Tiresias. The chorus is unsure of whether to believe the accusation, or to follow their king, which brings the issue of distrust into the text. The Chorus are unsure as to whether they can trust what the prophet has said to them, as they cannot see how a murder could be brought between Laius and the son of Polybus (as they know Oedipus to be). This can be seen through a number of quotes within the 1st Stasimon, two of these being quotes 10 and 11 on the handout given. Quote 10 reads: "The skilled prophet scans the birds and shatters me with terror! I can't accept him, can't deny him, don't know what to say". This explains how the prophet has searched for the murderer of Laius, and has found the person to be Oedipus, which 'shatters the Chorus with terror'. The Chorus do not want to accept the prophets findings, yet cannot ignore them, and so are unsure of whether Oedipus did in fact murder Laius. Quote 11 reads: "and what could breed a blood feud between Laius' house and the son of Polybus?" This shows that the Chorus cannot see what conflict between Laius and Polybus could have ever brought upon a murder such as this, and so are once again unsure as to whether they should believe the prophet's words. The issue of Denial is brought into the first stasimon when the Chorus comes to the conclusion that they should follow their king, as they see him as a well-respected role model. Hence they wish to deny the accusations, and try to ignore the bad that has been brought upon their king. This can be shown from quote #13 on the handout, which reads: "Never will I convict my king, never in my heart." This basically shows that they will never turn upon Oedipus, and hence will deny all accusations turned to him.

The role of beliefs is a very important issue in the 1st Stasimon. During the whole text of 'Oedipus the King', prophecies have always been trusted and acted upon, and never questioned. However, as the 1st Stasimon reads on, the Chorus starts to believe that what Tiresias' accusation states may not be true. The Chorus hears of the prophecy about Oedipus, yet still says that they will never convict their king, which basically shows that they are turning away from the prophecy, and are instead suggesting that the role of power in Greek society is more important than prophecies. Because Oedipus is of high power, he is respected, and the prophecies made against him are ignored. Although the prophecies are not trusted, the great gods still remain important and well trusted. The Chorus believes that the gods know the truth as to who killed Laius, yet will not reveal it. Hence the gods are not thought of as helpful to the city as they were previously considered, yet are still considered to know the truth. This can be seen through quote 15 on the handout, which reads: "Zeus and Apollo know, they know, the great masters of all the dark and depth of human life." This shows that