The Burial at Thebes
TMA06 Option 2 The Burial at Thebes
What is the main contribution made by the Chorus in The Burial at Thebes? Answer with specific references to the text of the play.
In this assignment I aim to show the main contribution made by the Chorus in The Burial at Thebes and in doing so I shall answer with specific references to the text of the play. Whilst working through the play I shall consider and explore several contributions, this will include; how the Chorus is used to link the narrative of the play, how the Chorus serves as a voice for the community of Thebes, how the Chorus acts as a critical friend of the two main character’s Antigone and Creon and finally how the Chorus offers opportunities for reflection for these two character’s. I shall argue and provide evidence that the main contribution made by the Chorus is how it is used to link the narrative of the play and show how they connect with the other contributions and themes within the play.
In the opening sequences of the play a degree of conflict quickly becomes apparent between Creon and Antigone, that of Creon’s duties to the law of the land and Antigone’s values with the laws of the Gods. The parodos is the first contribution made by the Chorus and here they serve as a voice for the community and are depicted as being a group of Theban elders. They are celebrating the aftermath of the civil war they have just won ‘A god of war stiffened our will and locked our arms, so the line held’ (Heaney. S, The Burial at Thebes, 2004, pg. 8) and chant several times the lines ‘Glory be to brightness, to the gleaming sun’ (pg. 8). These lines are strongly poetic and express not only the elder’s feelings but also the community’s feelings of victory and new beginnings.
This opening parados provides a link with the first episode of the play where the Chorus helps to promote and communicate the theme of politics and power, ‘He’s a new king but he’s right for this city at this moment’ (pg. 9). The
What is the main contribution made by the Chorus in The Burial at Thebes? Answer with specific references to the text of the play.
In this assignment I aim to show the main contribution made by the Chorus in The Burial at Thebes and in doing so I shall answer with specific references to the text of the play. Whilst working through the play I shall consider and explore several contributions, this will include; how the Chorus is used to link the narrative of the play, how the Chorus serves as a voice for the community of Thebes, how the Chorus acts as a critical friend of the two main character’s Antigone and Creon and finally how the Chorus offers opportunities for reflection for these two character’s. I shall argue and provide evidence that the main contribution made by the Chorus is how it is used to link the narrative of the play and show how they connect with the other contributions and themes within the play.
In the opening sequences of the play a degree of conflict quickly becomes apparent between Creon and Antigone, that of Creon’s duties to the law of the land and Antigone’s values with the laws of the Gods. The parodos is the first contribution made by the Chorus and here they serve as a voice for the community and are depicted as being a group of Theban elders. They are celebrating the aftermath of the civil war they have just won ‘A god of war stiffened our will and locked our arms, so the line held’ (Heaney. S, The Burial at Thebes, 2004, pg. 8) and chant several times the lines ‘Glory be to brightness, to the gleaming sun’ (pg. 8). These lines are strongly poetic and express not only the elder’s feelings but also the community’s feelings of victory and new beginnings.
This opening parados provides a link with the first episode of the play where the Chorus helps to promote and communicate the theme of politics and power, ‘He’s a new king but he’s right for this city at this moment’ (pg. 9). The
Bibliography: Hardwick, L. (2008) `Seamus Heaney’s The Burial at Thebes’, in Brown, R.D. (ed.) Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book 3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pg. 192-235. Heaney, S. (2004) The Burial at Thebes, faber and faber. The Burial at Thebes, Part 1 (2008) (AA100 DVD Rom), Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Burial at Thebes, Part 2 (2008) (AA100 DVD Rom), Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Burial at Thebes, Interviews (2008) (AA100 DVD Rom), Milton Keynes, The Open University. The Open University (2008), AA100 Illustration Book (Plates for Books 3 and 4), Milton Keynes, The Open University.