Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Greek chorus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section is missing citations and/or footnotes.
This article or section may use words or ideas of other works in its text without citing sources. Using citations to support claims outside the realm of elementary knowledge helps guard against copyright violations and factual inaccuracies. Please improve the article or discuss this issue on the talk page. Help on using footnotes is available. This article has been tagged since December 2006. |
In tragic plays of ancient Greece, the chorus (choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek dithyrambs and tragikon drama. The chorus offered background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance, commented on main themes, and showed how an ideal audience might react to the drama as it was presented. They also represent the general populace of any particular story. In many ancient Greek plays, the chorus expressed to the audience what the main characters could not say, such as their fears or secrets. The chorus usually communicated in song form, but sometimes the message was spoken. It was the playwright's job to choreograph the chorus. Originally the chorus had twelve members. Sophocles added three more to make it fifteen. The Purpose of chorus was to act as a link between the actors and the audience. They moved in unison and spoke in unison.
Peter Wilson. The Athenian Institution of the Khoregia: The Chorus, the City and the Stage. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
J.R. Green. Theatre in Ancient Greek Society. London: Routledge, 1994.
 |
This theatre-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |