Tone
Helplessness
The Tone in the first choral Oedipus expresses the chorus's fear and reverence for the gods. This shows that the meaning of the ode is simply to describe the city's desperation and desire to get help from the gods. They see the gods as both their preservers and their destroyers. In this ode, the chorus is waiting in anticipation for the prophecy from Apollo that they hope will tell them what needs to be done to end their present plague and please the gods once more. Since they see the prophecy as a chance to be saved by the gods, the chorus express their admiration for the gods, which can be found in the opening phrase, "O sweetly worded voice of Zeus" (163). The chorus also expresses its fear of the gods, in the line, "My
Helplessness
The Tone in the first choral Oedipus expresses the chorus's fear and reverence for the gods. This shows that the meaning of the ode is simply to describe the city's desperation and desire to get help from the gods. They see the gods as both their preservers and their destroyers. In this ode, the chorus is waiting in anticipation for the prophecy from Apollo that they hope will tell them what needs to be done to end their present plague and please the gods once more. Since they see the prophecy as a chance to be saved by the gods, the chorus express their admiration for the gods, which can be found in the opening phrase, "O sweetly worded voice of Zeus" (163). The chorus also expresses its fear of the gods, in the line, "My