to God O golden daughter of god send rescue Through the Chorus the audience understands the seriousness of the situation They look to Oedipus as their savior because he once saved them from the Sphinx Moral Guide and Advisor The Chorus often acts as a moral guide in the play They respect the gods They strongly believe in divine law They warn against pride and disrespect toward the gods When Oedipus insults the prophet Teiresias the Chorus feels uneasy They advise Oedipus to remain calm and respectful Through such advice the Chorus becomes a moral guide They show that human beings should remain humble and obedient to the gods Commentator on the Action After important events the Chorus comments on what has happened They talk about the meaning of those events For example when Teiresias says that Oedipus himself is the cause of the plague Oedipus becomes very angry He insults Teiresias He accuses him of lying and of working with Creon Then the Chorus sings an ode They comment on this serious situation They say that Teiresias is a holy prophet His words cannot be easily ignored At the same time they also respect Oedipus because he saved Thebes The Chorus s song tells us that this is a serious situation that may decide the future of Thebes Supporter and Critic of Oedipus At the beginning the Chorus supports Oedipus fully They praise him as a wise and noble king They believe he will save the city again They say Now again good helmsman steer us through the storm However as the truth begins to appear their attitude changes They begin to doubt Oedipus slowly They do not accuse him directly but they become confused and fearful When Oedipus finally falls the Chorus accepts his fate as just Help Create Tragic Atmosphere The Chorus helps create the tragic mood of the play Their songs are full of fear sorrow and anxiety They speak about human suffering and the uncertainty of life After Oedipus s fall they lament in fear They say is there a man more agonized O Oedipus name for the ages Their comment helps us understand Oedipus pain and tragedy The Moral Lesson At the end of the play the Chorus clearly states the moral lesson They warn people not to feel proud They remind everyone that no one can be called happy until life ends Count no man happy till he dies free of pain at last This final speech sums up the meaning of the tragedy It teaches that human happiness is uncertain and fate is powerful To sum up the Chorus plays many important roles in Oedipus Rex It represents the people guides morally and comments on the action They also help create tragic emotion Without the Chorus the play would lose much of its meaning and emotional power