World Literature Essay 1

ENGLISH AI HIGH LEVEL WORLD LITERATURE ASSIGNMENT TYPE I
The comparison of the role of the chorus in the development of the dramas- Antigone by Sophocles and Medea by Euripides.

CANDIDATE NAME: AYUSHI TODI CANDIDATE NUMBER: 001070-005 CANDIDATE SESSION: MAY 2010 SCHOOL NAME: CHINMAYA INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SUPERVISED UNDER: MRS. ARCHANA JHA WORD COUNT: 1492

Candidate name: Ayushi Todi Candidate number: 00107-005 Candidate session: May 2010

The comparison of the role of the chorus in the development of the dramas- Antigone by Sophocles and Medea by Euripides.
‘The chorus’ says Aristotle ‘must be regarded as one of the actors’. On these lines, in both the Greek plays, Antigone by Sophocles and Medea by Euripides the Chorus plays the role of an individual actor. It has its own view point and opinion on every matter which does not necessarily have to be the right and ideal thought or advice. Sophocles dealt with a public theme in his play Antigone. For example, Creon’s decree of not burying Polyneices was one which affected the community as a whole. This is because the person who tried burying his body would be put to death. The chorus which consisted of Theban elders was a part of this community. Hence the Chorus of Antigone is seen appropriate as it takes part in the actions of the play without interfering in the roles of the main characters. But this is not the case with Euripides’ Medea since it is a play with a private theme. This means that the incidents and the story are one which revolves around only Medea, Jason and their family. While the development of this play was confined to only a few people, the chorus in this Euripdean tragedy comprised of the women of Corinth. Thus, the involvement of the Chorus makes the occurrences in the play a public affair thereby contradicting its original theme. As the story develops it can be said that the chorus becomes an intrusion, a dramatic nuisance. When Medea confronts Jason the chorus’s...