In The Play Oedipus Essay, Research Paper
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. ??????????? The Chorus in the play Oedipus has
three basic functions. Firstly, to act as bystanders throughout the play,
observing what goes on, reacting and offering opinions at regular intervals
throughout the play (e.g. when Oedipus accuses Croon irrationally of conspiring
against him, the Chorus says ?To one who fears fall, his words seem good; O
king, swift counsels are not always safe?) In this role they are important
to the play as they often offer the voice of reason during moments of heated
debate, the voice of fear and confusion during Oedipus? downfall, which seems
to mirror the audience?s reaction and emotion in many situations throughout the
play. The Chorus are also used as a sort of receptive audience for passages of
description over what has gone on behind closed doors (e.g. after Jocasta has
realised the truth the second messenger describes the scene inside the palace
to the Chorus: ?Within the porch, straight to the couch she rushed, her
bridal bed, and tore her hair?) ??????????? Secondly, the Chorus offers a sort
of running narrative for the audience.?
This function is equally vital to the success of the play.? The Chorus often speaks in this way at the
end of a scene to clarify what has just gone on. (e.g. at the end of the first
scene, the chorus clarifies the diseased state that the city of Thebes has
descended into: ?Still breeding plague, unpitied infants lie?and wives and
mothers, grey with hoary age?by every alter mourn.?)? ??????????? 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?. ??????????? I think that in the play Oedipus,
Sophocles intended the Chorus to be a constant significant part of the play,
observing and reacting to situations, whilst never being the centre of
attention during the main story, and only coming to the fore during the
narrative passages of the play.? ??????????? However, in addressing the role of
the Chorus in this play, I think it is vital that one decides whether the role
of the Chorus is and objective role, inserted in to the play by Sophocles and
unaffected by the audiences perception, or whether the role is subjective, and
the significance of the role depends upon the viewer?s perception of the
Chorus? role in the play. ??????????? In my opinion, the role of the
Chorus is certainly subjective and depends almost entirely upon the
audience.? I think that although the
basic participation of the Chorus in the play can?t be changed, the
significance of their part can certainly alter quite considerably depending to
the type of audience or viewer and their own perception due to experience.
Consequently, the role of the Chorus would have a different significance for
ancient Greek audience and a 20th century audience. ??????????? The Greek audience would, no doubt,
place a great deal more significance on the role of the Chorus than a 20th
century audience would.? The common use
of a Chorus in Greek plays meant that the audiences almost expected any play to
contain one, therefore, the concept of a Chorus was not one they were not used
to.? Therefore, the Greek audiences
would have understood the many voices speaking together much more easily than a
20th century viewer.? Also,
the narrative passages spoken by the Chorus would be better received by the
Greek audience, as they are used to this type of narration, once more this
would be alien to a 20th century audience. Furthermore, the
environment in which the play Oedipus was originally performed was the Greek
amphitheatre.? This held approximately
17000 people.? One can imagine that it
may have been quite difficult for people further away from the stage to here
the main characters as there was no amplification other than the natural
acoustics. ?It is therefore reasonable
to assume that the Chorus? narrative role was very important in situations such
as these, as many voices speaking in unison are certainly louder than a single
voice, and therefore more easily heard.?
In this environment, then, the Chorus would have played a large role in
the audience?s understanding of the play, as well as keeping the tension,
excitement, dread and mirroring the emotions felt by the audience throughout
the play. ??????????? However, to a 20th
century audience, the role is somewhat less significant.? In plays today, the breaks in between scenes
heightens the tensions by inducing the audience to wonder; ?What happens
next??? Hence the Chorus? role in
keeping the continuity is unnecessary.?
Moreover, due to the audience?s ignorance and unfamiliarity with the
role of the Chorus in Greek plays, the tension, instead of being heightened by
the Chorus, is diminished, as the audience no longer concentrate during the
narrative passages.? This is partially
due to their unfamiliarity in listening to several voices speaking at once, and
partially due to the lack of requirement of a narrative passage as in most
cases, the action has spoken for itself.?
The Chorus can therefore become a boring and unwelcome disruption to the
flow of the play. However, this does not alter the fact that the Chorus still
has a significant role to play, even for a 20th century
audience.? The way in which the Chorus
mirrors the reactions and emotions of the audience during the play, as well as
the other basic roles held by the Chorus are still vital to the success and
understanding of the play Oedipus, even to a 20th century audience. ??????????? To conclude, the chorus fulfil vital
functions if the play is being performed in an Amphitheatre or in a modern
theatre. They act as a narrative, summarising the most recent action (on-stage
or not). They take on the role of bystanders who watch and react to the action
as it happens. Also they maintain the continuity as their being present removes
any need for scene or act changes.?????????? ??????????? In the Greek theatre they take on a
significant role of emphasising the storyline by groups speaking in unison
rather than one single actor trying to reach the ears of around 17,000
listeners. They were after-all a very natural part of Greek theatre and their
absence would certainly reflect an unorthodox presentation. They also keep the
emotion running as any scene changing can be done during their narrative
sections. ??????????? In a 20th Century
production the chorus perform a seemingly less essential role. As there would
be ample amplification of sound the chorus could be projected to the role of
town folk who would fit into the structure of the play neatly.