Greek chorus

The Greek chorus (choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek dithyrambs and tragikon drama in tragic plays of the ancient Greek theatre. The chorus offers a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance. It comments on themes, and shows how an ideal audience might react to the drama. It also represents the population in any particular story, in sharp contrast with many of the themes of the ancient Greek plays which tended to be about heroes, gods and goddesses. In many of these 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 spoke their lines in unison.

The chorus was an essential, first component of early Greek theatre during a time when tragedy was a lyrical component. Before the introduction of multiple, interacting actors by Aeschylus, the Greek chorus was the main performer in relation to a solitary actor. The importance of the chorus declined after the 5th century BC, when the chorus began to be separated from the dramatic action. Later dramatists, such as Sophocles depended on the chorus less than their predecessors. In the plays of Sophocles, the chorus serves as a body of commentators that often reinforce the moral of the story. The chorus often provide other characters with the insight they need.

The Greek chorus had to work in unison to help explain the play as there were only one to three actors on stage who were already playing several parts each. As the Greek theatres were so large, the chorus' actions had to be exaggerated and their voices clear so that everyone could see and hear them. To do this, they used techniques such as synchronization, echo, ripple, physical theatre and the use of masks to aid them.

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