Joining The Chorus

One of the greatest spectacles of Ancient Greek history was the art of the Tragedy. Audiences from all over the world would gather in search of theatricality and intellectual expression. This form of theatre held an element that allowed the audience experiencing it, to do so on an entirely new level. The incorporation and creation of the chorus had a tremendous effect on the overall experience of audiences everywhere. The Chorus remains onstage throughout the action of the play to show common emotion that the audience can relate to when the spectacle is being experienced. Their voices overlap, their stories heighten, and the physicality proceeds to compile to the overall escapade that is the chorus.

“The first point is that what the Greek audience heard and saw was something that we are not likely to see and hear today: a combination of lyric poetry, dancing and singing, integrated with drama. I use the word “dance” the Greek sense, meaning any ordered physical movement.” (The Greek Chorus, Pg. 2.)

Creating an overall prospect that elaborated upon the action of a production was the main objective of inserting a chorus into an ancient tragedy. However elaborate or bare the chorus may be, it served a definite purpose. A play on the other hand, is composed of several different parts, entities, and themes. Some stand on their own, others loosely tied. The Greek tragedy was innovative solely because it used a chorus concept to bring forth solidarity to these aspects of a production. It was never meant to be accidental, coincidental, or useless. (Hegel) In fact, the chorus was a conscience decision that acquired accomplishment through both the audience and the plot. As several theorists explore the use and harmonics of a chorus, ...

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...nd dramatic effect. Schiller and The Bride of Messin display the chorus and its ability to both reinforce and encourage emotional release. Hegel discussed the chorus as an art and the removal of it from the dramatic process, in order to create intellectual theatricality. Nietzsche’s approach in regards to the chorus, proved a process for both the playwright and audience to create an atmosphere of musical and poetic heightening. It is evident, whether each theorist overlaps or diverges, that every theory enforces that the chorus plays a vital role in the tragedy. The protagonist will experience their downfall show, after show. However, the chorus will ensure that the audience is falling with the character, becoming fully capable of seeing into the light that rock bottom provides. The poetics may not always be clear, but note-by-note, the chorus will pave the way.