How Does Oedipus The King Use The Chorus Mask

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Oedipus the King is a greek tragedy that uses mask as an instrument in order to illustrate changes and the tension in relation to the text. One of the most unique character in Oedipus the King is the Chorus who wears a mask and their role is to narrate the action taking place. Carl Jung a renowned psychologist, his psychoanalytic theories like archetypes explained the psychology behind the Chorus mask. The theories can explain the exterior facial features and the interior world. The mask that I created has no definite expression on the outside but on the inside there is a whirlpool of emotion that relate to a specific scene in the play. For the Chorus external mask the concept of yin yang was used which is an eastern philosophy principle that shows two contradictory sides light and dark. This symbol is significant because it portrays that …show more content…

Also the symbol is known as the starting point for change, this illustrates that the prophecy foreshadowed a catastrophe about to befall Oedipus and that the Chorus envisioned this possibility to the extent they advised their king to overcome the potential havoc coming. This can be related back to Carl Jung theory about archetype and one of the form of archetypal character which is wise men or women, with aspect both of those gender the Chorus serves as the helper who can feel calamities and they give aid to Oedipus by warning him. The interior of the mask is the expressive side of the Chorus, it is showing emotions like trepidation and panic. The mask has three words written on it, chaotic, intense and muddled. The words written are used in order to show that internally the chorus was confused by the prophecy, they did not know what to believe and were facing dilemma. Also the colour red was used in order to represent the potential danger that could arise after the prophecy. The mouth was painted black on the inside

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