Analyse the Dramatic Uses of the Chorus in Greek Tragedy; in What Ways Do Traces of the Choric Function Occur in Twentieth-Century Drama?

A chorus is a common element to Greek tragedy’s and in ancient theatre consisted of a group of people who provide a number of different contributions to a play, providing a historical perspective, acting as counsellors and advisors to the plays characters and at times representing various groups such as villagers or a jury. Within this essay, I will consider the main contributions of the chorus within “The Burial at Thebes”

The Greeks were known for giving offerings to their gods. They decided to build a theater where they could give their offerings. Although the main thing that they used it for was giving offerings, it was also used for some other things. This paper will be talking about Greek drama genres, why theater was so important, and how they make their voices heard.

The chorus plays a vital role in interpreting what occurs throughout the play, just as the media plays a vital role in interpreting whether TV is good or bad. Reporters can be nosy and sometimes rude. At the same time, so can the chorus. "Do you really intend to steal this girl from your son?" (Sophocles 324). He's just saying it as if it is and laying out the facts, even though it may seem harsh. This makes it easier for the audience to better appreciate the play. The chorus says, "But the ancient wisdom speaks for our own

One of the most important characters in Sophocles’ Antigone is actually a group of individuals. The chorus consists of a group of Theban elders, and they serve as the voice of the people. These men are considered the wisest in all of Thebes. “Their attitude to what is going on is always shaped by their responsibilities and special interest of their position” (Kirkwood 3). The chorus is not attached to any one character specifically; it reacts to its own thoughts and emotions (3). The chorus is often used to create breaks in the scenes of plays, but in Antigone, the chorus serves a greater purpose then that of a segue. It is seamlessly integrated into the play, which allows the chorus to become highly personal and

Greek tragedies Oedipus the King and Euripides’ Bacchae are both timeless stories in Greek literature. The engaging plot of both is what is most rememberable however the significance of the chorus is overlooked. The chorus can be defined simply as a group of dancers and singers that participate in dramas by singing poetically and lyrically in certain pauses of the play. The music, movements and gestures of the chorus symbolically define the mood and the themes of the play as the story line develops. The flow of Oedipus the King and Bacchae are dependent on the chorus, proving their significance.

Like all classical Greek tragedies, Sophocles’s Oedipus the King features a chorus that sings several odes over the course of the play. In Sophocles’s play, the chorus is composed of old Theban men and represents the population of Thebes as a whole. The chorus recites a parodos, four stasima, and a brief exodus. Through the choral odes, Sophocles reflects on the events and motifs of the play, including piety and faith in the Gods, the inevitability and the uncertainty of fate, and the dichotomy of right and wrong.

Every Greek tragedy has a chorus; each one is made up of a different body of people. In The Libation Bearers, the chorus is made up of slave women from the palace. They represent the common interests and ideals of society and frequently comment on the action in lyrics. The chorus of this plays differs from those of Aeschylus's plays in that it influences the course of events by telling characters what to do. The chorus voices the following lines: The spirit of Right/Cries out aloud and extracts atonement/Due: blodd stroke for the stroke of blood/Shall be paid. Who acts, shall endure. So speaks/The voice of the age-old wisdom. (Grene & Lattimore, 310-314) This suggests that the chorus shows itself to be willing to intervene in the action in order to bring about the

Greek theatre and medieval drama were both very popular artistic events in their own periods of performance. However, from ancient Greece to the renaissance, time has set them apart in terms of methodology; their practitioners use a creative process based off of different mindsets. Therefore, the significant time lapse between the two genres has had an evident impact on the way theatre was perceived and presented. In comparing aspects such as religious motivations, conditions of violence and character development, the distinct theatrical natures of Greek theatre and medieval drama will be made apparent.

The role of the Chorus in the Shakespeare's play, Henry V, is significant. Due to the subject matter that the play deals with, it is hard to present in the way that it deserves. The Chorus helps the audience follow the play by helping them to picture things as they were through the use of imagery. It uses descriptive language in describing events that take place in the play. The Chorus also helps in making the plot of the play flow together better by filling the time lapses that occur between acts due to the fact that the event being depicted in only a few hours actually occurred over several years, leaving some gaps between events. It also explains what happens in an act

The chorus is an essential feature of Greek classical drama. Instances of various types of dance, singing, and speech are some elements of a Greek chorus. “Composed of similarly costumed men, they performed on the orchestra located beneath the stage. The chorus stayed in the orchestra for the duration of the performance from which vantage point they observed and commented on the action of the characters.” Oedipus is a play written by Sophocles, a respected playwright, and it is “generally assumed that the main function of the Sophoclean chorus is a philosophical one; that it serves above all as the spokesman for a certain view of life.” The chorus can be dramatic in the following ways: “through the personality of the group forming the chorus and the appropriateness of their relationship to the action and the characters, through the iambic lines spoken by the coryphaeus, through physical participation in the action and through the choral songs.” The chorus is an important component of the Greek Tragedy Oedipus. Aside from its responsibility to effectively represent the people of Thebes, the chorus in Oedipus has a powerful influence over audience perceptions and emotions.

In ancient Greek plays, the role of the chorus was to sing lyrical passages. The lyrical passages were set up

In section 18 of the Poetics Aristotle criticizes Euripides for not allowing "the chorus to be one of the actors and to be a part of the whole and to share in the dramatic action, . . . as in Sophocles." Aristotle may be thinking of the embolima of Euripides' later plays (satirized also by Aristophanes), but he is certainly wrong about the Medea. Its choral odes are not only all intimately related to the action but are also essential for the meaning of the play, particularly because here, as elsewhere (e.g. Hecuba), Euripides forces us reevaluate his main protagonist in midstream and uses the chorus (in part) to indicate that change.

A final cultural difference is the importance of the chorus and its use in the plays Agamemnon, Oedipus, and Medea. The chorus was not highly involved in the action of the plays. In general, the chorus’ main functions were to create a psychological and emotional background to the action through its odes. It introduces and questions new characters, as well as point out the importance of events as they occurred, to establish facts and avow the outlook of society. Finally, the chorus covers the passage of time, between events, and separates episodes (Calder 21). Within the play Agamemnon, by Aeschylus, the chorus represents the voice of wisdom of the city as well as its limitations (Novelguide). The chorus’ limitations are clear when they fail to

The first of the important minor characters we meet is the Chorus, who appear early in the play. Out of the three characters focused on in this essay, the Chorus is of the least importance to the story due to the fact that the Chorus mainly exists as a moral compass and source of information for the audience of the play. Regardless of their main purpose, the Chorus does advise Oedipus multiple times in the play, warning him of dangers to come. When confronting Creon, Oedipus accuses Creon of betraying him with no basis for accusations. In response, the leader of the Chorus says “Those who jump to conclusions may go wrong” (692). The Chorus has a clear understanding of the situation and works as a mediator that combats Oedipus’ arrogance. The mild role of importance the Chorus serves

        Finally, the Chorus is used to keep the continuity during the play. In modern theatre, the plays are normally split up into scenes and acts. However, the Greek kept the continuity between these natural gaps, by having a narrative section. This prevented the necessity of having breaks in the action and also kept the audience up to date with what had just gone on, and perhaps offering some insight or other. In this role, I think the Chorus is very helpful to the audience, as it succeeds in keeping the audience 'on the edge of their seats'.