The Chorus are then called upon to act as counsel for Creon, where he declares that the body of Polynices, the so-called traitor, should remain unburied without adhering to any of the customs of that time. The chorus seem to have power within the story here as Creon is seeking their support in his decision regarding Polynices, and the Chorus pledge their support to him “Loud and clear, King Creon, You have laid down the law”.
As the play develops, the role of the chorus changes somewhat and also departs from normal traditional functions of the chorus within other Greek tragedy’s in that it is easily lead away from the main morals of the play. The chorus begins to take on much more of a critical advisor for a number of the characters, almost like a “devil’s advocate” particularly with Creon. This is particularly evident when the Gods are discussed and their role in human lives, which was a theme first introduced by Antigone at the start of the play. When the guard details that Polynices has indeed been buried, the chorus start to change “Creon, sir, I cannot help but think The gods have had a hand in this somewhere”.
The chorus continue throughout the play to act as an advisor to most characters throughout the lay – reprimanding Antigone for being hasty in her disobedience of Creons orders “The wildness in her comes from Oedipus, she won’t relent” and also encouraging Creon to listen to his son Haemon to relent on his decision about Antigone “ You should take good note, Creon, of Haemons words And he of yours. Both of you say sound things”.
One main function of the Chorus is mostly prevalent in their choral odes as these produce the ambiguity about whose fault it all is, which continues as the play unfolds. The chorus is very central to providing a balance of what is right for the individual and right politically. In the first ode, the chorus sing about the accomplishments of man but with strong reference to the Gods and their roles in human lives, but they then change to a warning at the end “Overstep what the city allows, tramp down right or treat the lay wilfully as his own word, then let this wonder of the world remember, he’ll have put himself beyond the pale when he comes begging we will turn our backs”. The end of this ode from the chorus, however could be advice applied to both Antigone and Creon, as the play unfolds, and therefore increases the moral ambiguity which seems to be a core function of the chorus at many times throughout the play.
Throughout the main confrontation between Antigone and Creon, the chorus starts to call on a mythical perspective, how what is happening or going to happen can be related to the past issues of this family “That family is going to feel the blow, generation after generation”. The chorus here start to outline who is at fault blaming Antigone, as well as the family, initially“ A defiant spirit, The fury and backlash of overbearing words”. Then continue on to Creon “ The man obsessed is a cock of the walk in a hurry towards the worst”
The final choral ode, shared between Antigone and the chorus continues to sustain the uncertainty of fault “You go with head held high”
What is evident on reading and listening to the play is that the chorus is a key character within the play with a number of functions, namely linking the narrative, introducing the historical perspective, action as a “devil’s advocate”/advisor to many of the characters and also serving as the voice of the city. It is clear that without the Chorus the play would have been quite unstructured and not had as much context within it. The chorus gave insightful historical and mythical perspectives which provided the structure and context which was essential for this play. A key theme which was continually emphasises by the chorus was loyalty to the gods and the function of the chorus who continually reflected this to Creon, ultimately contributed to his epiphany and change of mind, albeit it too late. In my personal opinion, the key function of the chorus was to keep the audience continually engaged by giving unbiased views and therefore keeping the moral ambiguity heightened at all times. This role meant that the viewer/listener had to attend to the story at all times and make views and decisions based on their own personal views. The chorus never put fault at any ones person door; it gave all sides of the story and allowed people to judge independently. I personally felt that this role was crucial to making this a readable and enjoyable play. There were times when I was somewhat irritated by the chorus interruptions and found sometimes that these detracted from what was a build up in dramatic tension but overall the chorus role was crucial and added to the enjoyment of the play.
Word count 1100
Bibliography
Hardwick, Lorna, Seamus Heaneys The Burial at Thebes, Book 3- Cultural Encounters, The Open University, Milton Keynes
Heamey, Seamus; The Burial at Thebes, Sophocles Antigone
Audio CD – The Burial at Thebes; The Open University, Milton Keynes.