The Chorus is an essential features of the ancient Greek tragedy. Aristotle says in his poetics-"the Chorus to be regarded as one of the actors; it should be an integral part of the whole and take a share in the action that which it has for Sophocles rather than Euripides". The Chorus was a group personality consisting of twelve or fifteen elder citizens. They used to dance round the altar of Dionysus (the god of plants, fertility, wine, music and poetry). In this way, the chorus came into being as an essential part of the Greek life. They served as a link between the actors and the audience. It also gave description of the play and the actors so that the audience may fully realise the significance.
Like the chorus in many Greek tragedies, the chorus in "Oedipus the king" represents the voice of the greater society. In other words, they are considered to represent citizens of Thebes who honour and respect the king and the gods. Their odes shows both knowledge of religious culture as well as strong loyalty to the king. Their role is to provide a broader context for the action of the play as a whole: they have the ability to pass judgment on the actions of the other characters and comment on the morality of such. Sophocles uses the chorus at the beginning of the play to help tell the audience the given circumstances of the play. We hear all about the terrible havoc that the plague is wreaking on Thebes-".... The city seeks with the death in her streets, death bring...". They also prayed to the Sun god for us to save the city "from the fire and pain of pestilence".
Unlike Euripides, Sophocles integrated his Choruses into the action of the play. In the play we see them constantly advising Oedipus to keep his equilibrium and patience in his dealing with Creon and the blind prophet Teiresias and reverence for the laws formed by the gods. When the quarrel between Oedipus and Tiresias reaches and extreme limit, the Chorus advises them to think of the city stricken with plague-"sir to our thinking, both (Oedipus and Tiresias)have spoken in the heat and anger. surely this is not well, when all our thought should be, how to discharge the god's command". It is no wonder then they manage to convince Oedipus not to banish or execute Creon on the basis of suspicious only. They comment-"Good words; felting for you prudent man/To hear and heed. Quick thoughts are seldom safest".
It is the Chorus who reports horrible events like Jocasta hanging herself and Oedipus' blindness after the horrible discovery about his parentage (as this event could not be shown on stage). After the horrible discovery is made, the chorus chants a solemn ode on the sorrows of life and the tragic fate to which Oedipus become subject-
"O the generations of men/the dying generations adding the total/of all your leaves I find they come to nothing...../you are my great example, you, your life/your destiny, Oedipus, man of misery-/I count no man blest......". The Chorus moans in pity as the blind cheapest dumbbells out of the place, covered with his own blood. As Oedipus exits after having met his daughter, the chorus chants:-"people of Thebes, my countrymen, look on Oedipus".
The contribution of the Chorus "Oedipus the king" is considerable. They link the play with common humanity. In some sense, they are often in the positions of the ideal Spectator. They fill in the gaps in the action when no other character is there on the stage. Moreover, they add to the play the element of melody which must have been one of the attraction of Greek tragedy. The tragedy of Oedipus and its relevance to common life is very well stressed by the Chorus in their odes.
To conclude, the functions of the Chorus are very well performed in Sophocles' "Oedipus the king". In the first ode the chorus depicts the horror of the plague and expresses an apprehension about the message from the Oracle of Delphi. Other odes comment on the action that has taken place. It plays the role of peace maker between the king and Creon. And the final message of the play, delivered directly by the Chorus to the audience, is one of complete despair-"count no man happy till he dies, free of pain at last".
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