Ancient tragedy brings together three essential elements. The first is music: it is no accident that the Greek words τραγούδι ("song") and τραγωδία ("tragedy") have the same linguistic root. Song and dance are integral to this form of drama.
The second is rhythmical recital: tragedy's style of storytelling owes much to the great epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which were originally narrated by a ῥαψῳδός or "rhapsode," who would recite - like a modern rap artist - to a rhythm that he beat out on the ground with a stick.
Tragedy's third component is rhetorical debate. In ancient Athens, tragedy was not just entertainment; it was a public event. It offered a kind of academy where people could hear - and reflect upon - discussions of issues that were important to the state. The Athenians saw tragedy as a social way of thinking, an instrument of philosophy.
Today, Greek tragedies are often treated as if they were melodramas, offering clear-cut moral distinctions between right and wrong. But in tragedy we do not know what is right and wrong; that is the whole point. We are not told what to think; we are merely given hints to help us in our search for truth. This is why the role of the chorus is so important in these plays: it is the chorus that gives tragedy its meditative aspect.
The mythical characters who drive the action in a tragedy generally represent extremes: people who, like Elektra, stand outside the social norm. Such characters are dangerous: they defy society, they threaten its peace and its unity. The chorus, on the other hand, embodies society. The individuals who make up the chorus do not want to be different; they do not want the responsibility of distancing themselves from the group.
Although the chorus amplifies the emotions expressed in the play, it generally wants peace and calm. Taking moderation as its ideal, it tries to reconcile the characters' inner or outer conflicts, to find a balance between extremes and to prevent people from becoming outsiders, from being different. It tries to incorporate, or reincorporate, every dangerous element into itself, in order to neutralize it.
The actors playing the mythical characters wore masks, making them almost like symbols: larger than life, removed from our reach. They did not directly address the audience. But the chorus - often comprising the younger sons of the Athenian citizens - wore no masks. Their faces could be seen; they could address themselves to the audience. They had a direct connection to the audience that the characters did not.
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