What is the chorus in Greek tragedy?

What is the chorus in a Greek tragedy?

The chorus in Classical Greek drama was a group of actors who described and commented upon the main action of a play with song, dance, and recitation. Greek tragedy had its beginnings in choral performances, in which a group of 50 men danced and sang dithyrambs—lyric hymns in praise of the god Dionysus.

What is a Greek chorus in Greek Theatre?

Definition of Greek chorus



1 : a chorus in a classical Greek play typically serving to formulate, express, and comment on the moral issue that is raised by the dramatic action or to express an emotion appropriate to each stage of the dramatic conflict.

What is the main role of chorus?

The chorus speaks directly to the audience and may not interact with the main characters of a story at all. Their purpose is to underscore the moral themes, actions, character development, and messages of a story to the audience. The Greek chorus was prevalent in classical Greek drama of the 5th century BCE.

Why was the chorus important in Greek Theatre?

The purpose of the Greek chorus was to provide background and summary information to the audience to help them understand what was going on in the performance.

What are three functions of the chorus?

They function, scholars have suggested variously, to offer a sense of rich spectacle to the drama; to provide time for scene changes and give the principle actors a break; to offer important background and summary information that facilitates an audience’s ability to follow the live performance; to offer commentary

What is an example of a chorus?

The definition of a chorus is a group of singers or a refrain in a song. An example of a chorus is a church choir. An example of a chorus is the part of a song that repeats several times. A group of singers who perform together, usually singing multi-part compositions with more than one singer for each part.

Where did the chorus perform in Greek theater?

The chorus acts as a bridge between the action and the audience. The chorus physically stood on the orchestra between the actors and the audience. It could talk to the actors on one side and the audience on the other.

Who does the chorus represent?

In Greek tragedies, the chorus represented the average citizen’s fears, hopes, and judgments. In the play Antigone by Sophocles, the chorus and chorus leader represent the people of Thebes who attempt to talk rationality into the main character, Antigone, and the king, Creon.

How did the Greek chorus perform?

As the Greek theatres were so large, the chorus’ actions had to be exaggerated and their voices clear so that everyone could see and hear them. To do this, they used techniques such as synchronization, echo, ripple, physical theatre and the use of masks to aid them. A Greek chorus was often led by a coryphaeus.

What is chorus according to Aristotle?

First, a definition of Greek chorus: “A Greek chorus (Greek: χορός, koros) is a homogeneous, non-individualized group of performers in the plays of classical Greece, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action.” I’m hopeful our band of Aristotelians will provide more background and insight into the

What is an example of a Greek chorus?

Quote from video: We have a chorus quite early on in the play when they talk about what was happening just before the Trojan horse got wheeled in and the whole city was sacked they're remembering the wonderful times

What was the main purpose of a Greek chorus quizlet?

What was the function of the chorus in Greek theater? The chorus represented the point of view of the spectator and interpreted and commented upon the characters, their words, and actions.

What does the chorus claim as its purpose in the action of the play?

The Chorus develops the action of the play. It initiates concludes, comments on and analyses the action of the play. “It develops the plot.

What are the 5 elements of Greek tragedy?

Being a quite prominent Greek philosopher, Aristotle analyzes and argues how ‘the perfect tragedy’ must be constructed in his work of Poetica. He claims there must be six different well-constructed elements of ‘the perfect tragedy’: the Plot, the Tragic Hero, Thought, Diction, Spectacle and the Chorus.

What are the 3 main parts of a Greek Theater?

The theater was constructed of three major parts: skene, orchestra, theatron. The skene was originally a hut, tent, or booth; skene means “tent” and refers to a wooden wall having doors and painted to represent a palace, temple or whatever setting was required.

What is the structure of a Greek tragedy?

What is Chorus | Chorus in Greek Tragedies | Chorus in …

What is an example of a chorus?

The definition of a chorus is a group of singers or a refrain in a song. An example of a chorus is a church choir. An example of a chorus is the part of a song that repeats several times. A group of singers who perform together, usually singing multi-part compositions with more than one singer for each part.

What are the 5 functions of a Greek chorus?

They function, scholars have suggested variously, to offer a sense of rich spectacle to the drama; to provide time for scene changes and give the principle actors a break; to offer important background and summary information that facilitates an audience’s ability to follow the live performance; to offer commentary

What is the chorus of a song?

In music, a chorus is a repeated section that contains the primary musical and lyrical motifs of the song. In common song structures, it’s typically repeated at least twice.

What is chorus according to Aristotle?

First, a definition of Greek chorus: “A Greek chorus (Greek: χορός, koros) is a homogeneous, non-individualized group of performers in the plays of classical Greece, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action.” I’m hopeful our band of Aristotelians will provide more background and insight into the

What is the structure of a Greek tragedy?

The basic structure of a Greek tragedy is fairly simple. After a prologue spoken by one or more characters, the chorus enters, singing and dancing. Scenes then alternate between spoken sections (dialogue between characters, and between characters and chorus) and sung sections (during which the chorus danced).

What is the meaning of chorus in literature?

The term “chorus” refers to a group of performers responsible for summarizing (sometimes through song and/or dance) the events of a play. The term is also used to describe the section of text they read/sang.

Where did the chorus perform in Greek theater?

The chorus acts as a bridge between the action and the audience. The chorus physically stood on the orchestra between the actors and the audience. It could talk to the actors on one side and the audience on the other.

How did the Greek chorus perform?

As the Greek theatres were so large, the chorus’ actions had to be exaggerated and their voices clear so that everyone could see and hear them. To do this, they used techniques such as synchronization, echo, ripple, physical theatre and the use of masks to aid them. A Greek chorus was often led by a coryphaeus.

Who invented the Greek chorus?

Thespis

Later, the actor would often speak to the leader of the chorus, a group of up to 15 actors (all male) who sang and danced but did not speak. This innovation is credited to Thespis c. 520 BCE (origin of the word thespian).

What are the 5 elements of Greek tragedy?

Being a quite prominent Greek philosopher, Aristotle analyzes and argues how ‘the perfect tragedy’ must be constructed in his work of Poetica. He claims there must be six different well-constructed elements of ‘the perfect tragedy’: the Plot, the Tragic Hero, Thought, Diction, Spectacle and the Chorus.

What are the 3 rules of a Greek tragedy?

These principles were called, respectively, unity of action, unity of place, and unity of time. These three unities were redefined in 1570 by the Italian humanist Lodovico Castelvetro in his interpretation of Aristotle, and they are usually referred to as “Aristotelian rules” for dramatic structure.

What are Aristotle’s 6 elements of tragedy?

In Poetics, he wrote that drama (specifically tragedy) has to include 6 elements: plot, character, thought, diction, music, and spectacle.

What makes a Greek tragedy unique?

In general, Greek tragedies feature a high-born character of ordinary moral virtue. This means that the character, though not villainous, exhibits a realistic, but fatal flaw, known as hamartia.