and so are given authority to relay the concerns of the average man to the ears of the King. In the beginning, they have found themselves threatened by the plague that has descended on Thebes, and so open the play by petitioning for help. Oedipus is unable to offer any easy solution, and so the Chorus turns to the gods for help, saying, "There is no way to count the pains we suffer. All our people are sick. There is no sword of thought which will protect us" (12). This is a perfect example of the initial timid nature of the Chorus, as they initiall
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