Essay: The role of the chorus stretches beyond what defines the theme in a play

Introduction
The role of the chorus stretches beyond what defines the theme in a play. The chorus has a vital role to play in the general development of any Greek drama in which the main character is brought to ruin or otherwise suffers the extreme consequences of some tragic flaw or weakness in their personality. On the other hand, the chorus gives the meaning of choral odes in relation to drama. Nevertheless, there is need to critically evaluate the role of the chorus, especially in maintaining the balance between the play, placing the theme of the study within the context of Sophocles’ Antigone and Anouilh’s Antigone.
The role of chorus in Sophocles Antigone and Anouilh Antigone
With reference to lines 629-720 and 49-52 of the two pieces of literature, the chorus serves the purpose of giving the overall synopsis information and the background of the plays. Additionally, the lines drive the plot and develop the personalities of the actors. The chorus in Anouilh’s Antigone play takes the role of the narrator, suggesting the manner in which the audience should react to the various events in the play. At times the characters in the play directly interact with the chorus and in doing so it has an influence on how the events turn out.
On the other hand, Sophocles’ chorus has a greater amount of interaction with the other characters on stage. The chorus is the people’s voice and sends a warning of the evil impending. In grief, the chorus wails aloud and in good the chorus rejoices. It stands in for the crowd who make judgments of the characters that are on the stage and their actions. Its purpose is to give comments on the themes of the play and react in the manner in which the audience ought to react, thus giving guidance to the spectators toward comprehending its deeper meaning.
It is through this chorus that Creon comes to the understanding that he is mistaken in his decisions and recognises that he is inferior to the Gods. Creon realises that he is just a human and that the world is bigger than the limits of his nation. At the beginning the chorus appears not to be strong, by accommodating itself to the rule of Creon and failing to intervene on the part of Antigone; at first, it is a docile refrain. It assists in role-playing and theatricalism.
The Chorus is majorly composed of old men since the young people had not come back after the war “elders [that] represents the point of view of an average section of society.” The opinions of these old people are a representation of the points of view of the of society; standing in for the patriarchs of the society where the setting of the story takes place and despising Antigone. Nevertheless, it automatically gave benefit to the chorus for their nuggets of wisdom and useful information that it passes forward because the elders that constitute it were once warriors themselves who had in the past fought battles and won; though because of their old age they are limited to expressing their knowledge and skills through words “…old age leaves me fit for bravery only in song.” In that manner, they can appear as being the advisors of the king at the beginning of the play. Through the good part of the play the chorus is seen responding to the actions of Creon for example in line 204 the chorus claims that, nobody is foolish enough to love and cherish death. The statement they use to explain to the king that not even one human would act foolishly and defy the commands of the king and therefore it must have been the will of God for the action of burying.
The self- conscious theatricality of the play is best brought out by the considerable role given to the Prologue and the Chorus. The chorus became the number one to make the suggestion to the king on the outcomes of religious disputes considering the Polyneices and made an attempt to moderate between Haemon and Creon. Nevertheless, Creon merely ignores them and turns away. The chorus manages to stand up again and be taken seriously by Creon at the point when the king is distressed and confused. As such in contrast to the main character of the play, the chorus tends to take a more cautious move of actions an approach that is more of discreet in nature. It is, therefore, apparent that the chorus has a continuous part in the drama as well as its contribution in making power indefinite because of the honor is given to it in one way or another. It is indeed a significant approach put forward by the chorus and that helps in driving the plot of the play.
The chorus in Antigone initially may be mistaken for being friable and deficient in physical strength. And that who lack force and efficiency of action; in fact, it can only appear as reproducing the desires and the commands of their King Creon and cannot stand against impunity and take the unfamiliar position in fighting for their rights together with the antagonistic Antigone. This familiarity is not something that is not in the expectation on behalf of Sophocles. As can be seen throughout the drama, the attitude of purposefully yielding to the king a demonstration by the Chorus develops further the impression, an intimation of the mannerism of the grammatical mood character of Creon against Antigone together with the rest of the population of the Greeks.
The development of Antigone from the preliminary discussion above on it is vivid that the chorus plays a vital role with everything considered, absolutely, in the absence of the catalytic characteristics of the choir, there would never have been changing in Creon in his personality. Failure to change would have forested the final condemnation and demise of Antigone the inevitable tragedy of the heroine.
There is a notable difference in the manner in which Jean Anouilh handles the chorus in his writing of the Antigone from the way Sophocles managed the chorus Antigone many centuries earlier.. Anouilh uses his chorus to open the play with a very long explanation of the different characters that are in the play and the summary of the events unfolding in the play Distinct from the audience of Sophocles, who would have had knowledge of the characters involved in the story and the background of the play, Anouilh assumes that the audience
lacks familiarity with the story. Anouilh takes a big portion of the play, just to introduce the play with the prologue of the chorus.
After this very long choral prologue, the chorus appears not for the proper part of the play that follows. They are not in the appearance at any point again until they are seen almost in the middle of the play. At that point, the choral prologue again provides a commentary worth two pages. To some degree, the speech they give here plays the role of intermission since they notify the audience that the stage is set and ready for what happens next in the play. The speech here tends to another level by recalling the quasi-Aristophanes Parabasis in which the author mandates the chorus with the duty to explain the difference that exists between melodrama and tragedy. But the last sixth of the drama is the only place where the chorus comes into actual interaction with the other personas in the story on the stage. It was almost exclusive that they function at this point as the advisors to Creon warning him about the state of mind of Haemon that has deep trouble and asking him not to kill Antigone.
Anouilh gives the chorus the last disclose of the play since they spend a paragraph having a reflection on the tyranny of Creon and the actions of Antigone “Nothing is beyond his power”. Therefore, unlike the choral of the Sophoclean play, where the chorus has integration with more originality into the structure of the play, the chorus in the play of Anouilh, on the other hand, plays a role in providing the audience with the background information on the characters and the background of the game. The chorus also acts in providing commentary on the main themes and genres of the play. The onstage interaction with other persons does not, however, an infrequent occurrence. The identity of the chorus of Anouilh’s story is not clear, unlike the Sophocles’ Antigone story in which there clear presentation of the identity of the chorus as being the elderly males of Theban. For the proper part of the play, more so their definition of melodrama and tragedy, they function almost like the presence of Anouilh on the stage.
Language and dramatic techniques in the play
Sophocles Antigone employs the style of diction which makes the work a distinguished exponent among other works. Here the author uses the combination of the form of supreme beauty with the masculine sweetness and grace of his language. He has given the audience in one of the recordings of his utterances, the fascinating account of the enhancement of his style. The work is more spontaneous in diction, less natural and has great and strained usage with irregular involutions of phrases that occur with frequencies that are comparative and exemplify the vice encountered in the latter years. The use of different imageries, circumlocutions, epithets and metaphors luxuriate the writing of the sparing hand. In this respect, therefore, it is true that he creates a difference between the choral code and the dialogue whereby he allows in the later scenes a more free rein to his language and imagination resulting in making it more exuberant and beautiful. There is yet a suggestion of reserved forces and a moderation of the tone which makes it the very antithesis of profusion. Though in the dialogues, he is depicted to regard such ornaments as being out of place and that it would distract the main role in developing the tragedy and fail to reveal the personality of the human. There is seen the introduction of images and epithets when the occasion requires which produces a tremendous effect and their employment which is not very frequent adds more force to them. On the opposite, there is seen biasedness of pleonastic expressions by serving to emphasize the intensity of thought. He never uses words that are not necessary for bringing out the intended meanings, though sometimes redundancy is introduced with the goal of making resonance to the language.
Intricate and subtlety delicacy of phraseology is a distinctive quality of Sophocles’ Antigone. The story experiments with words and exalts the power of the author over the instruments which he uses and bends the words to his will and strains their capability to the utmost. He employs artful and felicitously chosen phrases which are appealing to the reader because of their suggestiveness and beauty that stimulate their curiosity while eluding the accurate analysis “…Against our land the proud invader came. To vindicate fell Polyneices\’ claim…” (I.i.107-108).There is likewise innovation of grammar where he extends and modifies the meanings of phrases and words. He also uses these phrases and words in the etymological and literal implication rather than to imply their conventional meaning.
There is much symbolism in the characters of the play. The two actors Creon and Antigone are a representation of some antagonizing forces such as man versus nature, city duties and family ties and females versus males and the laws of man against the legislation of God among others.
There are birds throughout Antigone. The mention of Carrion birds that make a buffet of Polyneices and the chorus also describing him as a bird, an eagle that is big and mean wreaking havoc on the people of Thebes, magnifies the notion that he instills fearful aggression on his hometown. The chorus also describes him as an eagle that is feasting on their blood which sets an irony when the birds instead feast on him.
Sophocles did not make the whole story up. Such myths were already present in the story setup; thus the audiences of the Sophocles’ story might have been probably familiar with the ending of the play as being tragic even before the beginning of the game. This kind of audience knowledge has a significant consequence on the tone of such a play. There is the sense of irony in the portrayal of the actions of the characters in this context. Antigone wrote a love note to death early which was a prediction of what would happen later in the play “…Go thine own way; myself will bury him. How sweet to die in such employ, to rest…” (69-76).The commentary by the chorus profoundly shapes the tone since the story does not have a narrator.
In conclusion, the dramatic and language techniques in the Anouilh’s Antigone set the scenes with a perfect captivation of the audience arousing their interest more with the tableau delivered powerfully with the views of the chorus that are very insightful. The antagonizing qualities to Antigone build an intense atmosphere of suspense.
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