In Euripides’ play Medea, the chorus is merely used as an instrument to portray social comment and cultural values. The chorus, in Medea, comprises 15 Corinthian women who are non-professionals, having talent in singing and dancing and serving as a bridge between the protagonist and the audience repeating important lines to portray emphasis on a particular issue or viewpoint. In literature, or more specifically, in Greek tragedy, the chorus is a mere commentator, commenting on the actions of the various characters and representing the voice of a certain set of people.
To focus my research, I will be discussing how Euripides’ uses the chorus as a vehicle of social comment and cultural values. To completely understand this issue and delve into …show more content…
Notions of the destructive power of love, the sorrows of exile, and the horror of Medea’s murderous revenge that are much relevant in today’s world are elaborated upon throughout the play. Another function of the chorus by the playwright is his unconventional use of the chorus by challenging the dramatic status quo of his day. In a similar tangent, Euripides employs his chorus to portray the falling nature of the world. The chorus’ inexplicable silence, with respect to its defiance of moral codes and their own judgements in matters, is comparable to several other events that occur in the play. In addition, it is relevant that the chorus is female; women are shown as “both wild and tame”, instinctive and irrational, in contrast to the logical male. The idea that women are viewed as weaker and more cowardly, a thought expressed a number of times in Medea is substantiated by the reckless acts which are driven by their emotional and irrational nature. This theme is also implied in other Greek tragedies such as Euripides’ Bacchae. In the same way, the chorus in Medea, through their participation in crime, act as an index of the world’s corruption. The chorus provides social commentary by signifying various aspects of Greek life, most of which are prominent in the societal structure that existed at that point of
To focus my research, I will be discussing how Euripides’ uses the chorus as a vehicle of social comment and cultural values. To completely understand this issue and delve into …show more content…
Notions of the destructive power of love, the sorrows of exile, and the horror of Medea’s murderous revenge that are much relevant in today’s world are elaborated upon throughout the play. Another function of the chorus by the playwright is his unconventional use of the chorus by challenging the dramatic status quo of his day. In a similar tangent, Euripides employs his chorus to portray the falling nature of the world. The chorus’ inexplicable silence, with respect to its defiance of moral codes and their own judgements in matters, is comparable to several other events that occur in the play. In addition, it is relevant that the chorus is female; women are shown as “both wild and tame”, instinctive and irrational, in contrast to the logical male. The idea that women are viewed as weaker and more cowardly, a thought expressed a number of times in Medea is substantiated by the reckless acts which are driven by their emotional and irrational nature. This theme is also implied in other Greek tragedies such as Euripides’ Bacchae. In the same way, the chorus in Medea, through their participation in crime, act as an index of the world’s corruption. The chorus provides social commentary by signifying various aspects of Greek life, most of which are prominent in the societal structure that existed at that point of