What purpose does the Chorus serve in speaking with Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King?

As in many of our surviving Greek tragedies, the chorus,
generally speaking, represents the viewpoint of someone who is not a king, queen,
prince, princess, or other upper-class person.

In
Sophocles' Oedipus the King, the chorus is given the persona of
elderly men from Thebes. In their initial conversation with Oedipus, they advise him to
consult Teiresias about the murder of Laius (and Oedipus follows their advice). They
also provide Oedipus with any information they know about Laius' murder. So, in their
opening encounter with Oedipus, they serve as advisors and
informants.

Later in the play, after Oedipus argues with
Creon, the elderly Thebans again take on the role of advisor as they urge Oedipus not to
suspect Creon of being disloyal to him.

After Oedipus
blinds himself, the chorus express both pity and horror at Oedipus. They actually think
that Oedipus would have been better off if he had killed
himself.

So, in Oedipus the King, the chorus' role with
respect to Oedipus himself appears to be that of advisor, provider of information, and
to serve as a group of citizens who reacts to what he has done after learning of his
true identity. These roles are not dissimilar to the roles taken on by other choruses in
Greek tragedies.