Role of the Chorus The Chorus is a group of actors that speak, sing, and dance together. The Chorus is part of a ritual theme in Greek tragedy plays. In each play the Chorus many functions, and sometimes can have similar roles as other choruses in other plays. Specifically in the Bacchae, a play by Euripides and in Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the Chorus were an important part of the play and had different functions. In the Bacchae, the Chorus’ was more reserved an not so involved but their main goal was to show how to respect and give honor to the divine.
In Oedipus the King, the chorus was more involved in the actual action by trying to help Oedipus in his decisions and help him chose the right choice. In the Bacchae, the Chorus functions as a constant source of obedience towards the divine. The Chorus symbolizes the lack of pride and devotion to the divine. The Choruses devotion can be clearly seen when praising Dionysus. “He (Dionysus) loves the goddess Peace, generous of good, preserver of the young. To rich and poor he gives the painless delight of wine.
But him he hates who scoffs at the happiness of those for whom the day is blessed and blessed the night; whose simple wisdom shuns his thoughts of proud uncommon men. What the common people believe and do, I too believe and do” (The Bacchae, 420). When the chorus says … “but him he hates” they are referring to Pentheus who despises Dionysus and lacks proper respect. The Chorus symbolized the exact opposite of what Pentheus symbolized. The Chorus works in contrast to the skepticism and judgment of Pentheus towards the divine. As a king, Pentheus refuses to recognize any divine right of Dionysus.
He also threatens anyone who pledges loyalty to Dionysus, imprisoning both followers and Dionysus himself. For Pentheus, there is a denial in the power of the divine, and a lack of acknowledgement that Dionysus is worthy of divine respect. By Pentheus showing a lack of faith and respect towards Dionysus he is thereby showing a lack of respect towards the divine. It is to this, where the Chorus functions as the opposite. They represent the dedication that people must show towards the divine, something that Pentheus and those who deny Dionysus’ divine rights lack.
The Chorus is the one group who are not affected by the rage of Dionysus he inflicted on the ones who do not give him the proper respect and lack belief in his divine rights. Their role is to remind people what can pen when arrogance or pride causes one to challenge and disrespect the divine. The pride and hatred that Pentheus has that causes him to want to test Dionysus and destroy any trace of him from Thebes, is the exact opposite of what the Chorus does. They work as the other choice that people can choose when struggling to figure out choices they should make in life.
Unlike Pentheus who wishes to undertake the divine, the Chorus operates as serving believers, willing to admire the glory and brilliance of their chosen divine. In Oedipus the King, the Chorus had a different purpose. They served as a function to advise Oedipus what to do and how to help him. In Oedipus the King we see the Chorus constantly advising Oedipus to remain calm. For example, when Oedipus is upset at Tiresias for accusing him of killing Laius, the Chorus says to Oedipus, “… We need no angry words but only thought how we may best hit the God’s meaning for us” (Oedipus the King, 405).
The chorus is seen as trying to calm Oedipus and get him out of his angry state. Most of the time in tragedies, Choruses do a lot of narrating of terrible events, but do little to help stop them. Yet, in Oedipus the King, the Chorus successfully manages to convince Oedipus not to banish or kill Creon. “… He (Creon) has been no silly child in the pat. He is strong in his oath now. Spare him… do not cast him away… ” (Oedipus the King, 649). The Chorus tries to get Oedipus to think rationally and not do anything by acting on his emotions.
They calm him down by convincing him Creon is not worthy of death; he did nothing wrong Throughout the Bacchae, we see the Chorus as a constant group of supporters, who believe in Dionysus and give him the respect he deserves. They never once condemn Dionysus or talk bad about him. In the beginning of the play we see their admiration when the chorus is singing Dionysus praise. “Holiness on golden wing who fly over the earth, do you hear what Pentheus says? Do you hear his blasphemy against the prince of the blessed, the god of the garlands and banquets… (The Bacchae, 375). Towards the end of play, the Chorus is till praising Dionysus. “Let us dance to the glory of Bacchius, dance to the death of Pentheus, the death of the spawn of the dragon!… Hail, Bacchae of Thebes! Your victory is fair, fair the prize, the famous prize of grief, of tears! “(The Bacchae, 1160). The Chorus can be seen as single-minded and uncritical because of their upstanding devotion towards Dionysus. Unlike in Oedipus the King, the Chorus both pities Oedipus and also criticizes him when needed.
They begin by being supportive of Oedipus, believing, based on his past successes, that he’s the right man to fix their problems. As Oedipus’s behavior becomes more erratic, they become uncertain and question his intentions. We can see the pity of the Chorus towards Oedipus when they say, “This is a terrible sight for men to see! I never found a worse! Poor wretch, what madness came upon you! What evil spirit leaped upon your life to your ill-luck- a leap beyond a man’s strength! Indeed I pity you, but I cannot look at you… ” (Oedipus the King, 1300).
Yet although the Chorus is sympathizing with Oedipus, later we see the chorus condemning Oedipus for all the wrong he did. “Doer of dreadful deeds, how did you dare so far to do despite to your own eyes/ what spirit urged you to do it? ” (Oedipus the King, 1325). After Jocasta and Oedipus return to their palace the Chorus describes Oedipus in not so flattering terms. “Insolence breeds the tyrant, insolence if it is gutted with a surfeit, unreasonable, unprofitable, climbs to the roof-top… ” (Oedipus the King, 875). The fact that Oedipus does not start killing people at this point is pretty good evidence that he is not a tyrant.
So we can see how the Chorus in Oedipus the King were more open minded tan the Chorus in the Bacchae by not only praising Oedipus but also being critical of his actions when Oedipus did wrong. In conclusion, in the Bacchae and Oedipus the King, the choruses were a major part in the play, with various roles. Specifically roles that the chorus played in the Bacchae was serving as supporters and followers of Dionysus, only showing respect. While in Oedipus the King, the chorus guided Oedipus in a more rational way, by not only glorifying him, but also critisizing at certain times.
A reason for the stark difference in both choruses can be explained by the makeup of both choruses. In the Bacchae, the choruses were a group of foreign Asian woman and in Oedipus the King, the chorus were a group of old men. Asian women are known to cat on their emotions, which can be why the Chorus in the Bacchae only praises Dionysus, which can be seen as irrational at times when Dionysus did not act correctly. Whereas in Oedipus the King, the group of old men were more rational and thereby acted on reason, by admiring Oedipus and also being critical. Yet, in both plays, the Chorus is seen as in important function of the play.
