the role of chorus in Oedipus the King ‘The word “Chorus” derives from the Greek word "kéras” which means “a large ‘organized group of singers". So chorus is a large organized group of people assembled together that performs with an orchestra or opera company. In Oedipus Rex, there are 15 malemembers in the chorus divided by strophe and antistrophe, represent the senior citizen of Thebes. The role of chorus in Oedipus Rex is very significant. They provide atmosphere, underscore the tragic action. They also play role as a character being a peace maker and instill a sense of fear or suspense in the audience. In some ways, the Chorus can represent the audience's ideal response to the play. Chorus, and its chants and songs, helped the audience better connect with the character, revealing the essence of the tragedy. Sophocles uses the Chorus at the beginning of the play to help tell the audience the given circumstances of the play. Form the first ode of the chorus, we hear all about the terrible havoc that the plague is wreaking on Thebes. People are dying and everyone is tensed The Chorus often is in the position of the ideal spectator. ‘Sometimes it intensifies the already existing pity and fear of the audience sitting before the stage by its ode enriched . t explains the situation and evaluates characters like a good critic. We can say that the chorus fill in the gaps in the action when no other characteris there on the stage. They add to it the element ‘of melody. The Chorus takes part in the dialogues also. When Oedipus consults them about ending the plague in the city, they express disappointment that the ‘oracle had not guided them about the identity of Lalus’ murderer. They also tell him what they know about the murder of their previous king and its circumstances. ‘When Creon, learning that the king has accused him of treason, comes on the stage he talks to the Chorus, who tell him that the king's “accusation was probably made in the heat of anger” Creon asked if the king looked absolutely serious while making the charge and they rightly say “it is not for them to look into the eyes of his master when he speaks.” The chorus play role as peace maker. When Oedipus has almost passed a sentence upon Creon, Jocasta arrives on the scene and first talks to the Chorus. The chorus requests her to “settle the difference between the two men’ we see the Chorus constantly advising Oedipus to keep cool. Most of the time in ancient tragedies choruses do a lot of lamenting of terrible events, but do little to stop them. Amazingly, though, the Chorus in Oedipus the King manages to convince Oedipus not to banish or execute Creon. ‘The Chorus in Oedipus Rex plays part as a distinct character. They begin by being supportive of Oedipus, believing, based on his past successes, that he's the right man to fix their woes. As Oedipus's behavior becomes more erratic, they become uncertain and question his motives. The fact Oedipus doesnt start loping off heads at this point is pretty good evidence that he's not a tyrant. Inthe end, the Chorus is on Oedipus's side again and laments his horrific fate. With the development of the play, tension grew up among the audience. We can sense that through the tension of chorus. They are worried when they see Jocasta going into the palace in a very dejected mood, and they give expression to their apprehension. ‘They even sympathize with Oedipus when they see him after he has blinded himself. In brief we can say that the Chorus never takes a direct hand in the action, Itdoes not consist only of spectators but influences the action in various subtle ways.Classical Literature Ancient Greek literatureis written in the ancient Greek language from the earliest texts until the time of the Byzantine Empire. The earliest surviving works of ancient Greek literature, dating back to the early Archaic period, are the two epic poems the “liad” and the "Odyssey". These two epics, along with the Homeric Hymns and the two poems of Hesiod, “Theogony’ and "Works and Days" , comprised the major foundations of the Greek literary tradition that would continue into the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman. periods. The lyric poets Sappho, Alcaeus, and Pindar were highly influential during the early development of the Greek poetic tradition. Aeschylus is the earliest Greek tragic playwright for whom many plays have survived complete. Sophocles is famous for his tragedies about Oedipus. Euripides is known for his plays which often pushed the boundaries of the tragic genre. The comedian playwright Aristophanes wrote in the genre of Old Comedy, while the later playwright Menander was an early pioneer of New Comedy. The historians Herodotus and Thucydides, who both lived during the fifth century BC, wrote accounts of events that happened shortly before and during their own lifetimes. The philosopher Plato wrote dialogues, usually centered around his teacher Socrates, dealing with various philosophical subjects, whereas his student Aristotle wrote numerous treatises, which later became highly influential. Lucian, The second-century AD writer, wrote primarily works of satire. In i yt Roman authors drew ion from their Greek predecessors. Ever since the Renaissance, European authors in general, including Dante, Shakespeare, John Milton, and James Joyce, have all drawn heavily on classical themes and motifs. Archaic Greece, and Classical Greece Archaic classical literature stretches from Homer until the fourth century BC and the rise of Alexander the Great. The earliest known Greek writings were written on clay tablets. Greek literature was divided in well-defined literary genres. The first division was between prose and poetry. Within poetry there were three super-genres: epic, lyric and drama. Lyric and drama were further divide to more genres: lyric in four (elegiac, iambic, monodic lyric and choral lyric); drama in three (tragedy, comedy and pastoral drama). Prose literature can largely be said to begin with Herodotus. Over time, several genres of prose literature developed, but the distinctions between them were frequently blurred.Epic poetry beginning of Greek literature stand the two monumental works of Homer, "and the "Odyssey". Their roots reach far back before his time. The a narrative of a single episode spanning over the course of a ten—day- period from near the end of the ten years of the Trojan War. It centers on the character of Achilles, who embodied the Greek heroic ideals. The "Odyssey" is an account of the adventures of Odysseus, one of the warriors at Troy. After ten years of fighting in the war, he spends another ten years sailing back home to his wife and family. Homer depicted Penelope, his wife, as the ideal female based on her commitment, modesty, purity, and respect during her marriage to Odysseus. Both works were based] on ancient legends. The other great poet of the preclassical period was Hesiod. He is thought to have lived and worked around 700 BC. Hesiod's two poems are "Works and Days" and "Theogony’. Works and Days' is a faithful depiction of the poverty-stricken country life he knew so well. "Theogony’ is a systematic account of creation and of the gods. It vividly describes the ages of mankind, beginning with a long-past, Golden Age. ‘The writings of Homer and Hesiod were held in extremely high regard throughout antiquity and were viewed by many ancient authors as the foundational texts behind ancient Greek religion; Homer told the stories of a heroic past. Lyric poetry Lyric poetry received its name from the fact that it was originally sung by individuals or a chorus accompanied by the instrument called the lyre. Despite the name, the lyric poetry in this general meaning was divided into four genres, two of which were not accompanied by flute. These two latter genres were elegiac poetry. Elegiac poems were written in elegiac couplets. The most famous of all lyric poets were the so-called ‘Nine Lyric Poets’. Of all the lyric poets, Sappho ( 630 - 570 BC) was the most widely respected. In antiquity, her poems were regarded with the same degree of respect as the poems of Homer. One of her poems is "Ode to Aphrodite’. The later poet Pindar was renowned for his choral lyric poetry. Drama All surviving works of Greek drama were composed by playwrights from Athens. Choral performances were a common tradition in all Greek city-states. The docx.¥ela.as 2/5Athenians credited a man named Thespis with having invented drama by introducing the first actor, whose primary purpose was to interact with the leader of the chorus. Later playwrights expanded the number of actors to two (Aeschylus) and three(Sophocles) , allowing for greater freedom in storytelling. In the age that followed the Greco-Persian Wars, the awakened national spirit of ‘Athens was expressed in hundreds of tragedies based on heroic and legendary themes of the past. The tragic plays grew out of simple choral songs and dialogues performed at festivals of the god Dionysus. In the classical period, attendance at the festival performances was regarded as an act of worship. Performances were held in the great open-air theater of Dionysus in Athens. All fully surviving Greek tragedies are conventionally attributed to Aeschylus, Sophocles or Euripides. The authorship of "Prometheus Bound” is traditionally attributed to Euripides. There are seven surviving tragedies attributed to Aeschylus. Three of these plays, Agamemnon, The Libation-Bearers, and The Eumenides, form a trilogy known as the Oresteia. Seven works of Sophocles have survived, the most acclaimed of which are the three Theban plays, which center around the story of Oedipus and his offspring. There are nineteen surviving plays attributed to Euripides. The most well-known of these plays are "Medea, "Hippolytus”, and "Bacchae". Euripides pushed the limits of the tragic genre and many of the elements in his plays were more typical of comedy than tragedy. His play “Alcestis" , for instance, has often been categorized as a "problem play" or perhaps even as a work of tragicomedy rather than a true tragedy due to its comedic elements and the fact that it has a happy ending. Like tragedy, comedy arose from a ritual in honor of Dionysus, but in this case the plays were full of frank obscenity, abuse, and insult. At Athens, the comedies became an official part of the festival celebration in 486 BC. As with the tragedians, few works still remain of the great comedic writers. The only complete surviving works of classical comedy are eleven plays written by the playwright Aristophanes. He poked fun at everyone and every institution. In "The Birds" , he ridicules Athenian democracy. In "The Clouds" , he attacks the philosopher Socrates. Aristophanes has been praised highly for his dramatic skill and artistry. He is the greatest comic dramatist in world literature. Of all Aristophanes's plays, however, the one that has received the most lasting recognition is "The Frogs" , which satirizes and immortalizes the two giants of Athenian dramatist Aeschylus and Euripides. The third dramatic genre was the satyr play. Although the genre was popular, only one complete example of a satyr play has survived: "Cyclops" by Euripides. Historiography [oles or EB A)Historiography ‘Two notable historians who lived during the Classical Era were Herodotus and ‘Thucydides. Herodotus is commonly called “The Father of History” His book "The Histories" is among the oldest works of prose literature in existence. AA third historian of ancient Greece was Xenophon. His most famous work is his book "The Anabasis". Xenophon wrote three works in praise of the philosopher Socrates: “The Apology of Socrates to the Jury’, "The Symposium”, and "Memorabilia". Of all the classical philosophers, however, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are generally considered the most important and influential. Socrates did not write any books himself and modern scholars debate whether or not Plato's portrayal of him is accurate. Some scholars contend that many of his ideas, or at least a vague approximation of them, are expressed in Plato's early socratic dialogues. Plato expressed his ideas through dialogues, that is, written works purporting to describe conversations between different individuals. Some of the best-known of these include: “The Apology of Socrates" , a purported record of the speech Socrates gave at his trial; "Phaedo’, a description of the last conversation between Socrates and his disciples before his execution; ‘The Symposium’ , a dialogue over the nature of love; and “The Republic" , widely regarded as Plato's most important work, a long dialogue describing the ideal government. Aristotle is widely considered to be one of the most important and influential philosophical thinkers of all time. The first sentence of his" Metaphysics" reads: "all men by nature desire to know.” He has, therefore, been called the "Father of those who know." His medieval disciple Thomas Aquinas referred to him simply as “the Philosopher’. Aristotle was a student at Plato's Academy, and like his teacher, he The body of writings that has come down to the present probably represents lectures that he delivered at his own school in Athens, the "Lyceum" . Even from these books, the enormous range of his interests is evident: He explored matters other than those that are today considered philosophical; treatises cover logic, the physical and biological sciences, ethics, politics, and constitutional government. ‘Among Aristotle's most notable works are "Politics" , "Ethics" , "Poetics", and "On the Sour’ Hellenistic period The city of Alexandria in northern Egypt became, from the 3rd century BC, representative of this period and the outstanding center of Greek Culture. It's library was from the beginning intended as a great international school and library. PoetryPoetry The genre of bucolic poetry was first developed by the poet Theocritus. The Roman Virgil later wrote his Eclogues in this genre. a long poem written in four volumes of elegiac couplets. The Roman Period Best known of the late Greek historians to modern readers is Plutarch who died about AD 119. His "Parallel Lives" of great Greek and Roman leaders has been read by every generation since the work was first published. His other surviving work is the "Moralia", a collection of essays on ethics, religion, and politics. Philosophy Epictetus (c. 55 AD ~ 135 AD) was associated with the moral philosophy of the Stoics. Laértius, who lived in the third century AD, wrote ‘Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers” , a collection of biographies of nearly every Greek philosopher who ever lived. He is the only available source on the lives of many early Greeks. Another major philosopher of his period was Plotinus. He transformed Plato's concepts into what was called later Neo_Platonism.