As man conquers the natural forces of the world, his mental focus shifts from simply surviving to answering humanity's enduring question: Why? Writers are inspired by the fabric of their society—current events, historical milestones, and popular morality. The Greeks' skill in weaving stories and imagery was so intricately powerful that a complete universe was created in their legends. The chorus was one of the primary tools for elegantly setting the stage for such detailed works. In Mythology, Edith Hamilton exalts the works of Aeschylus, which heavily employ the chorus for context, saying “With Homer, they are the most important source for our knowledge of the myths.” (17) The chorus provides insight to classicists, and it can inspire audiences as well. The chorus in Greek drama provides vital information, establishes tone, and serves as a mirror for the moral ambit of the audience that allows for relatively short works containing dense moral content.
The typical chorus consists of mortal citizens, but a preface to this tool is seen in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. As the saga opens, the Olympian gods are gathered in an assembly that is mimicked in later dramatic works. Not only do the gods provide information about Odysseus's plight, they discuss Orestes's vengeance for his father and facilitate the introduction of young Telemakhos. In Agamemnon, Aeschylus uses a gathering of old noblemen to fill that role. Before Agamemnon's climax, the audience is fully prepared for Clytaemnestra's actions by the combination of learning about Iphigenia's death and of hints of Clytaemenstra's infidelity. The allusions as sometimes symbolic, but sometimes the chorus's understanding of the complexities of the situation are all to clear: “B...
... middle of paper ...
...Cited
Hamilton, Edith. Introduction. Mythology. Edith Hamilton. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group, 1998. Print.
Aeschylus, Agamemnon. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1984. The Oresteia. Print.
Muller, Karl O. History of the Literature of Ancient Greece. Vol. I. London: Baldwin and Cradock, 1840. 308. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. .
Schlegel, August W. Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature. Trans. John Black. 2004. Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. .
Weiner, Albert. "The Function of the Tragic Greek Chorus." Theatre Journal 32.2 May (1980): 212. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. .
Aeschylus, The Libation Bearers. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1984. The Oresteia. Print.
Rengakos, Antonios. Homertext und die Hellenistichen Dichter. Hermes. Einzelschriften, Heft 64. Stuttgart, F. Steiner, 1993.
* Scully, J & Herington, C.J., Aeschylus: Prometheus Bound (Oxford University Press, New York 1975)
Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Trans. Richmond Lattimore. Ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1953.
Aeschylus. “The Oresteia.” Aeschylus: The Oresteia. Tran. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1979. 99-277.
In the Greek play, the Oresteia, suffering acts as a vital role in the lives of the main characters. One character, the chorus, discusses suffering at great length. The chorus is made up of old men who were too old to fight against Troy, and who often give the audience an inside view to the actions happening on stage.
Dillon, Matthew, and Lynda Garland. Ancient Greece: Social and Historical Documents from Archaic Times to the Death of Socrates. London: Routledge, 1994. No. 7.42, p. 209.
Poetry, Drama, and the Essay. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc, 2001.
In The Odyssey by Homer, there are three archetypes from Greek culture that modern readers can still relate to today: Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus revealed himself to his son, and the Sirens. Homer wrote archetypes that still apply to modern teenagers today. Homer wrote great literature with several interesting archetypes, that even today's culture can understand and relate to almost three thousand years later. Homer (approx 850-750 B.C) is credited with writing The Iliad and the Odyssey. For almost three thousand years,these epic poems have captured readers imaginations and inspired countless works of art and literature. An “epic” is a long narrative poem. Modern readers gain insights about ancient Greek
Gainor, J. Ellen., Stanton B. Garner, and Martin Puchner. The Norton Anthology of Drama, Shorter Edition. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2010. Print.
Kardaun, Maria S. "Greek Tragedy As A Challenge To Modernism: A Depth Psychological Perspective." Psyart(2011): 10. ContentSelect Research Navigator. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
In conclusion, the chorus was very much needed in the play Oedipus the King. It served as the main gateway into the citizens feelings regarding the problems. Even though the chorus was subtle in the play it played an important role. I think stories should include something similar to concessions. It can bring a better insight about the story from someone who witnesses everything
This criticism stems from a disbelief that epics such as The Iliad and The Odyssey could have been formulated, maintained, and transmitted within an oral culture. However, new research on human memory and careful analysis of text reveals evidence that the textual style of each poem does emanate from one author.
The Chorus, in this play, guides the audience. In the end, it is up to the individual as to what reaction they have to the play, but the Chorus is there to, in a way makes this reaction more complicated. One could leave the play totally condemning Medea, but the Chorus display’s Medea in a way that makes the audience sympathise with her, and so the moral conclusions that need to be come to side, become more complex. The audience has to base their reaction to Medea on what crimes they have seen her commit, and on what they have heard of her through the Chorus. Their integral part in the play acts in many ways, to follow, revise, and extend the plot of the play, and to influence the opinions and sympathies of the audience. It is a literary, and dramatic device that Euripedes uses, and uses well, to help portray a tragedy, and also a moralistic play, in which the Chorus is the voice that provides the morals.
In answering this question, I will look at the question in two ways. Firstly, I will look at the role of the chorus objectively, examining the basic role of the chorus in the play, and looking at the role of the Chorus as Sophocles would have intended the role of the Chorus to be understood. However, I will then look at how I think the Greek audience would have perceived the role of the Chorus and then how the role of the Chorus is perceived today by a 20th century and examine the key differences in the two different sets of perceptions. Finally, I will look at the importance of the role of the Chorus to a 20th century audience and a Greek audience respectively.
6. GREEN, Peter, A Concise History Of Ancient Greece To The Close Of The Classical Era, Thames & Hudson, London, 1991