What was the role of the chorus in a Greek play?

The chorus in Classical Greek drama was a group of actors who described and commented upon the main action of a play with song, dance, and recitation. Greek tragedy had its beginnings in choral performances, in which a group of 50 men danced and sang dithyrambs—lyric hymns in praise of the god Dionysus.

What are the 5 functions of a Greek chorus?

They function, scholars have suggested variously, to offer a sense of rich spectacle to the drama; to provide time for scene changes and give the principle actors a break; to offer important background and summary information that facilitates an audience’s ability to follow the live performance; to offer commentary …

How did the Greek chorus perform?

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. A Greek chorus was often led by a coryphaeus.

What did the Greek chorus wear?

Members of the chorus also wore masks, except all members wore the same mask because they were all representing one character. Illustrations of the masks rarely showed them in use during performances but rather when they were being handled by the actors before or after a performance.

Where did the chorus perform in Greek theater?

The chorus acts as a bridge between the action and the audience. The chorus physically stood on the orchestra between the actors and the audience. It could talk to the actors on one side and the audience on the other. It was made up of members of the Athenian community, just like the audience.

What is an example of a chorus?

The definition of a chorus is a group of singers or a refrain in a song. An example of a chorus is a church choir. An example of a chorus is the part of a song that repeats several times. A group of singers who perform together, usually singing multi-part compositions with more than one singer for each part.

What is the leader of a Greek chorus called?

coryphaeus
Frequently a chorus leader, called a coryphaeus, would aid with comprehension.

Why did the Greek chorus wear masks?

Masks served several important purposes in Ancient Greek theater: their exaggerated expressions helped define the characters the actors were playing; they allowed actors to play more than one role (or gender); they helped audience members in the distant seats see and, by projecting sound somewhat like a small megaphone …

Where did the Greek chorus perform?

These seats encircled a round playing area called the orchestra where the chorus performed. At the back of the orchestra was the skene. This was a stone building, a hut or tent that acted as a dressing room and was where the actors made their entrances from and their exits to.

How long is a chorus?

The length of a chorus can be highly determined by the tempo of the song, however, as a rule of thumb, the length of the chorus should be the same as the verse, which is typically 16 bars, and if we measure the length in time, choruses usually last about 20 – 24 seconds.

Who is a chorus leader?

In Attic drama, the coryphaeus, corypheus, or koryphaios (Greek κορυφαῖος koryphaîos, from κορυφή koryphḗ́, the top of the head) was the leader of the chorus. Hence the term (sometimes in an Anglicized form “coryphe”) is used for the chief or leader of any company or movement.

Why do Greek chorus wear masks?

Actors wore masks so that the audience may see the facial expression clearly, allow them to tell the characters apart and make the theme of the story (comedy or tragedy) clearly obvious to the spectators. The masks in Greek theatre consisted of comedy and tragedy, and were always the main themes of the performances.