The Role Of The Chorus And Its Impact On The Audience

THE ROLE OF THE CHORUS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE AUDIENCE IN OEDIPUS THE KING Angad Dev Singh History of Drama and Theater I Optional Research Paper Tenth of December 2014 The chorus is an essential feature of Greek classical drama. Instances of various types of dance, singing, and speech are some elements of a Greek chorus. â€Å"Composed of similarly costumed men, they performed on the orchestra located beneath the stage. The chorus stayed in the orchestra for the duration of the performance from which vantage point they observed and commented on the action of the characters.† Oedipus is a play written by Sophocles, a respected playwright, and it is â€Å"generally assumed that the main function of the Sophoclean chorus is a philosophical one; that it serves above all as the spokesman for a certain view of life.† The chorus can be dramatic in the following ways: â€Å"through the personality of the group forming the chorus and the appropriateness of their relationship to the action and the characters, through the iambic lines spoken by the coryphaeus, through physical participation in the action and through the choral songs.† The chorus is an important component of the Greek Tragedy Oedipus. Aside from its responsibility to effectively represent the people of Thebes, the chorus in Oedipus has a powerful influence over audience perceptions and emotions. 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