The chorus in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex doesn’t explicitly compare Thebes to anything concrete. However, its role and actions implicitly liken the city to a ship lost at sea, a body ravaged by disease, and a society blinded by ignorance. This multifaceted representation underscores the tragedy unfolding within the city.
The chorus, composed of Theban elders, functions as a barometer of the city’s well-being. Their initial pleas to Oedipus for deliverance from the plague mirror the desperate cries of sailors facing a storm. Just as a ship relies on its captain to navigate treacherous waters, Thebes depends on Oedipus to steer them out of crisis. The chorus’s fervent prayers and lamentations reflect the fragility of Thebes, tossed about by forces beyond its control.
Furthermore, the plague itself, a central motif in the opera-oratorio, transforms Thebes into a diseased body. The chorus’s descriptions of suffering and death emphasize the city’s physical and spiritual decay. Their cries of anguish echo the pain and torment of a body wracked by illness, highlighting the devastating impact of the plague on the community.
Finally, the chorus’s gradual understanding of the truth behind the plague and Oedipus’s identity reveals Thebes as a place shrouded in ignorance. Initially, the elders are blind to the true source of their suffering. As the story progresses, their growing awareness parallels the slow and painful unveiling of a hidden truth. This journey from ignorance to knowledge underscores the tragic consequences of blindness, both literal and metaphorical, within Thebes.
While the chorus doesn’t draw direct comparisons, its reactions and pronouncements paint a vivid picture of Thebes as a city grappling with crisis. The imagery of a ship lost at sea, a body ravaged by disease, and a society blinded by ignorance collectively conveys the depth of Thebes’s suffering and the tragic fate that awaits its citizens. The chorus’s evolving understanding of the truth underscores the opera’s central theme: the devastating consequences of unchecked power and the importance of confronting uncomfortable realities.
