The Chorus In Medea Essay

A passage that divulges a play’s resolution, fluctuation between 3rd and 1st person that expresses a character’s perception and a foreword that constructs the tone of a play are all illustrations of the broad impact that a certain structure of a tale can have. In Euripides’ Medea, the inclusion of the chorus in the structure of the play serves as an essential instrument designed for a vast array of uses. The chorus foreshadows imminent events, reveals cultural and contextual information, enlightens characters on foregoing events and provides commentary on Medea’s actions.
The interaction amongst the chorus and the play’s primary characters reveals pivotal contextual information pertaining to the play’s setting, Ancient Greece. To illustrate, …show more content…
For instance, subsequent to Jason leaving with his attendants to deliver Medea’s gift to Glauke, the daughter of Kreon, the chorus cries out: “the grace and the perfume and flow of the golden robe will charm her o put them upon her and wears the wreath, and now her wedding will be with the dead below” (Medea 32). The visual image of the “grace and the perfume and the glow of the golden robe” symbolizes the opulence of the Greek bourgeoisie and the blatant trickery of Medea, who will fatally deceive Glauke. The image further evokes a profound sense of irony due to the fact Glauke would glaringly succumb to Medea’s antics upon a tainted backdrop of luxury and splendor. Gold in Ancient Greece was regarded as an emblem of immortality and thus it is ironic that she died, cloaked in a golden robe. The image of the “dead below” represents the souls of perished mortals who Glauke would hastily transform into. Essentially, the chorus accurately foreshadows the scenario of her brutal death prior to its occurrence. The excerpt represents the superstition that was rampant in Ancient Greece and the potent influence of mysticism: charms and spells, to the extent to which mysticism became a vital component of their myths, legends, tales and …show more content…
The chorus, throughout the play, shifts from initial sympathy to profound condemnation of Medea. Originally the chorus was greatly sympathetic towards Medea stating: “This I will promise, you are in the right Medea. In paying your husband back. I am not surprised at you for being sad. The metaphor of “you are in the right” represents the chorus’ initial feelings towards Medea’s plan of attaining Medea: they regarded her plan as ethically and morally warranted. The metaphor of “paying your husband back” represents Medea’s crafty plan for revenge .As the tale progresses however, the chorus outwardly denounces Medea’s actions: “O your heart must have been made of rock or steel you who can kill with your own hand the fruit of your own womb” The metaphor of Medea’s heart being made of “rock or steel” represent’s the chorus’ eventual outlook and judgment of her character. They now resent Medea as wretched and utterly vile due to her monstrous actions. The symbol of “fruit of your womb” symbolizes Medea’s fallen children and portrays them as innocent and sweet like a fruit: a drastic juxtaposition to the monster that the Chorus believes Medea had become. The chorus, in its initial consolation to Medea, essentially states the bottled-up feelings of Greek women, who were incessantly enslaved by the brutal manacles of oppression, objectification, and