The Chorus in Sophocles' Antigone
In the Action One of the most important characters in Sophocles’ Antigone is actually a group of individuals. The chorus consists of a group of Theban elders, and they serve as the voice of the people. These men are considered the wisest in all of Thebes. “Their attitude to what is going on is always shaped by their responsibilities and special interest of their position” (Kirkwood 3). The chorus is not attached to any one character specifically; it reacts to its own thoughts and emotions (3). The chorus is often used to create breaks in the scenes of plays, but in Antigone, the chorus serves a greater purpose then that of a segue. It is seamlessly integrated into the play, which allows the chorus to become highly personal and dramatically active (1). It functions as peanut gallery of sorts, commenting on the action, making historical references and allusions, and even interacting with the characters. The chorus seems relatively insignificant at the opening of the play, but it later becomes an integral part of the action as the drama unfolds.
The chorus often provides information vital to the understanding of the particular scene or dialogue. They often accomplish this through odes, or songs. At the play’s opening, Antigone and Ismene discuss the death of their brothers. The chorus comes on to end the scene, but also to explain the history behind their battle and subsequent death, “Against our land he marched, sent here by the warring claims of Polyneices” (Sophocles 110-112). The group of old men does not think favorably upon the brothers of Antigone and Ismene, and this is reflected in the end of their story when they refer to the brothers as, “that pair of wretched men, born of one father and one mother, too – who set their conquering spears against each other and then both shared a common death” (Sophocles 170-173). The chorus provides the background information necessary to understand the dilemma that the sisters now face in deciding whether to properly
The chorus often provides information vital to the understanding of the particular scene or dialogue. They often accomplish this through odes, or songs. At the play’s opening, Antigone and Ismene discuss the death of their brothers. The chorus comes on to end the scene, but also to explain the history behind their battle and subsequent death, “Against our land he marched, sent here by the warring claims of Polyneices” (Sophocles 110-112). The group of old men does not think favorably upon the brothers of Antigone and Ismene, and this is reflected in the end of their story when they refer to the brothers as, “that pair of wretched men, born of one father and one mother, too – who set their conquering spears against each other and then both shared a common death” (Sophocles 170-173). The chorus provides the background information necessary to understand the dilemma that the sisters now face in deciding whether to properly
Cited: Adams, S.M. “The ‘Antigone’ of Sophocles.” Phoenix 9.2 (1955): 47-62. JSTOR. Web. 12 Mar. 2011. Burton, R.W.B. “The Chorus in Sophocles’ Tragedies.” New York: Oxford U.P., 1980. Print. Gardiner, Cynthia P. The Sophoclean Chorus: A Study of Character and Function. Iowa City: Iowa U.P., 1987. Print. Kirkwood, G.M. “The Dramatic Role of the Chorus in Sophocles.” Phoenix 8.1 (1954): 1-22. JSTOR. Web. 7 Mar. 2011. Kitzinger, Margaret Rachel. The Choruses of Sophokles’ Antigone and Philoktetes: A Dance of Words. Boston: Brill, 2008. Print. Sophocles. “Antigone.” Trans. Don Taylor. Dover: Dover Publications, 1993. Print.