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

As you can see, this is a very short paragraph, however simply states the anger of the gods, and shows that they are searching for the killer of Laius. The main points are spoken and are to the point, without it being too overelaborated.

lunges on him, lightning-bolts afire!

The Chorus gives a very loving affect/attitude towards Oedipus. They seem as though to feel sympathetic towards him, and in their hearts hope that the accusations made towards Oedipus are not true. They also show a very loyal attitude to their king, as they say that they will never side with him until real proof has been shown about the incident. The Chorus also shows admiration towards Oedipus, when describing his defeat against the Sphinx, and saved the city of Thebes from it’s curse. Quotes 20, 21 and 22 on the handout relate to the attitude portrayed by the Chorus, in regards to Oedipus. Quote 20 reads: “Never will I convict my king, never in my heart”. This shows the loyal and loving affect given to Oedipus, as the Chorus do not want to leave his side, even though he is accused of murder. Quote 21 reads: “No, not till I see these charges proved will I side with his accusers.” This also shows loyalty and respect to Oedipus, as they are saying that they will not leave him until true proof has been revealed. Quote 22 reads: “we saw him then, when the she-hawk swept against him…his skill, his brilliant triumph…he was the joy of Thebes!” This shows the admiration shown towards Oedipus, as they admired his skill and triumph, and they basically said that he was the person who brought joy back into Thebes.

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 structure of the 1st Stasimon has very little difference as to the rest of the play. Some minor differences in the first stasimon is the fact that there are no stage directions etc, but this is because there is only one part in the text; no characters move during the text. There are some minor roles of sentence structure within the first stasimon, these being the use of ‘…’, exclamation marks, and the use of short paragraphs. ‘…’s were used as they gave a sense of uncertainty in the text, and also shows that what the speaker is saying is not yet finished, however perhaps he/she does not know anything else to say. An example of this is quote 30 on the handout, which reads: “I cannot see what’s to come, what’s still to come…” By using the ‘…’ at the end of the speech, you can sense uncertainty in the chorus, as they are unsure as to what may happen next to Oedipus, they are uncertain about his future. Exclamation marks are used to create depth in the text, and to show excitement in the speaker’s voice. An example of this is quote 31 on the handout, which reads: “he was the joy of Thebes!” Through the use of the exclamation mark

Some topics in this essay:
Oedipus Chorus, Thebes Symbolism, Stasimon It’s, Laius Polybus, Greek Tragedy, Devil Sphinx, Polybus Oedipus, Thebes” Chorus, Inequality Power, I” Chorus, 1st stasimon, handout reads, towards oedipus, seen quote, killed laius, impact audience, 1st stasimon handout, anger gods, stasimon handout, killer laius, convict king, shrieking doom doom, doom doom dies, son father lunges, father lunges lightning-bolts,