The Chorus of Sophocles' Antigone

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Recommended: narrate Antigone by Sophocles

The Chorus of Antigone

The chorus was not only a major part of Antigone, but also the most

insightful portion of this play's cast. The members of the chorus tell Creon

and the audience very important truths about themselves. Throughout the play

the chorus comments on Creon's actions, and gives us all unbiased views on our

hypocritical species. Without a chorus Creon's epiphany may never have occurred

and we wouldn't have, as easily, seen our personal flaws. The chorus is

included in a very effective manner, the chorus talks about death, love, and

other unconquerable forces that humans eternally try to defeat, it shows the

audience great futility and lets us see the problems we face throughout life.

Creon changes greatly throughout the play, he starts as a best friend,

or someone out to help the common man, but later in the play he becomes more and

more ruthless as his power corrupts him. At about the time his degradation

reaches it's climax the chorus interrupts with a song about death, how man can

control the most powerful of elements, and tame the wildest beast, yet death

still comes. He also learns through them some important things about love,

especially that it is unconquerable.

Through the chorus Creon begins to see that he is wrong and God is

superior to himself, but it takes a lot to shake his belief that a perfect

society is run by an unrelenting rule. This play also told me a lot about

humans in general, that the they aren't interested in anything but the

fulfillment of their own needs, and that they refuse to see that something may

be more powerful than themselves. This revelation is the major theme of the

play and is very important in Creon's growth as a person.

This play couldn't have existed without a chorus, these singers give too

much to the structure of the play, without them Creon would never have changed

as a person and the play would have been much more ambiguous as to the

relationship of Creon's problems to our own. With the help of the chorus Creon

learns that he is just a frail being in a world much greater than his own

pitiful kingdom.

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