how is a greek chorus like a lawyer

What is a Greek chorus?

How is a Greek chorus like a lawyer They’re both in the business of searching for a precedent Finding an analogy Locating a prior example So as to be able to say

Is the chorus an actor or an instrument?

A Greek chorus, or simply chorus (Greek: χορός, translit. chorós), in the context of ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, satyr plays, and modern works inspired by them, is a homogeneous, non-individualised group of performers, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action. The chorus consisted of between 12 and 50 players, who variously danced, sang or spoke their …

What is the role of the chorus according to Schlegel?

 · The Greek Chorus. In ancient Greek plays, there would often be a group of people in the background who commented (through song, dance, and spoken lines) upon the action going on between the main characters on stage. We call this the “Greek Chorus”. Today when divorce lawyers talk about the “Greek Chorus”, we are talking about the crowd of friends, …

How many actors were in the Greek chorus?

 · In ancient times, Greek plays almost always had a chorus of actors who would comment, in one voice, on the action of the play, the characters, and ... the traditional litigation process and who do not know your personal situation and your priorities would say something like, “Oh dear. Your lawyer is not fighting for you.” The reality is ...

What is a Greek chorus?

chorós ), in the context of ancient Greek tragedy, comedy, satyr plays, and modern works inspired by them, is a homogeneous, non-individualised group of performers, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action. The chorus consisted of between 12 ...

What is the chorus in Greek theatre?

Plays of the ancient Greek theatre always included a chorus that offered a variety of background and summary information to help the audience follow the performance. They commented on themes, and, as August Wilhelm Schlegel proposed in the early 19th century to subsequent controversy, demonstrated how the audience might react to the drama. According to Schlegel, the Chorus is "the ideal spectator", and conveys to the actual spectator "a lyrical and musical expression of his own emotions, and elevates him to the region of contemplation". In many of these plays, the chorus expressed to the audience what the main characters could not say, such as their hidden fears or secrets. The chorus often provided other characters with the insight they needed.

How many members were in the chorus?

Aeschylus likely lowered the number to twelve, and Sophocles raised it again to fifteen. Fifteen members were used by Euripides and Sophocles in tragedies. The chorus stood in the orchestra. There were twenty-four members in comedies.

What is the purpose of a singing chorus in musical theatre?

Musical theatre and grand opera sometimes incorporate a singing chorus that sometimes serves a similar purpose as the Greek chorus, as noted in Six Plays by Rodgers and Hammerstein: "The singing chorus is used frequently to interpret the mental and emotional reactions of the principal characters , after the manner of a Greek chorus."

What does the chorus do in a play?

In many of these plays, the chorus expressed to the audience what the main characters could not say, such as their hidden fears or secrets. The chorus often provided other characters with the insight they needed. Some historians argue that the chorus was itself considered to be an actor.

Why did the chorus have to work in unison?

The chorus had to work in unison to help explain the play as there were only one to three actors on stage who were already playing several parts each. 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.

What does the Greek word "chorus" mean?

F. Kitto argues that the term chorus gives us hints about its function in the plays of ancient Greece: "The Greek verb choreuo, 'I am a member of the chorus', has the sense 'I am dancing' . The word ode means not something recited or declaimed, but 'a song'. The 'orchestra', in which a chorus had its being, is literally a 'dancing floor'." From this, it can be inferred that the chorus danced and sang poetry.

How is a Greek chorus like a lawyer?

"How is a Greek chorus like a lawyer?" ask the chorus in Anne Carson 's latest work, a translation of Sophocles' Antigone. "They're both in the business of searching for a precedent … so as to be able to say / this terrible thing we're witnessing now is / not unique you know it happened before / or something much like it." Such light-handed scholarship is characteristic of Carson, a poet interested in those moments when precedents can't be found and normal translations fail: "Now I could dig up those case histories, tell you about Danaos and Lykourgus and the songs of Phineas," they continue: "it wouldn't help you / it didn't help me / it's Friday afternoon / there goes Antigone to be buried alive."

Who is Antigone in the play?

Antigone, the daughter of ill-fated Oidipus, whose brothers Eteokles and Polyneikes (Carson's own spellings), kill each other in battle, goes against her uncle Kreon's edict to leave Polyneikes unburied, knowingly inviting her punishment of death. She is a heroine who has been interpreted by critics in myriad ways: for Hegel, she represents the ethical value of the family against the state; for George Eliot, the strength of intellect against society; for Anouilh, during the French resistance, the rejection of authority. Woolf viewed her as a proto-feminist; others have called her a terrorist. Carson's cast has known them all: "Remember how Brecht had you do the whole play with a door strapped to your back?" asks the chorus. "We all think you're a grand girl," says Ismene, her sister.

What is the book Antigonick about?

Antigonick, a "comic book" of Sophocles' tragedy, is one of Carson's strangest works. It dramatises its own eccentricity, evoking a portrait of the author in a state of distraction; the words of the translation are printed in handwriting (Carson's own), almost entirely without punctuation, in tiny capital letters that are both neat ...

Definition of Greek chorus

1 : a chorus in a classical Greek play typically serving to formulate, express, and comment on the moral issue that is raised by the dramatic action or to express an emotion appropriate to each stage of the dramatic conflict

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What is the function of the Greek chorus?

The main function of the Greek chorus was to act almost as a relay service between the actors and the audience, to signpost important elements of the story or to provide a commentary to the audience about a certain characters actions and previous events.

Why do Greek choruses wear masks?

The mask would give the chorus a unity and uniformity but would also encourage interdependency between the performers (Anonymous, 2010). The masks also offered many other functions within Greek Theatre. As the performances often took place in large open air theatres, masks would include over-exaggerated features to allow audiences further away to see what feeling was being expressed by the chorus (which would usually be the over-arching tone of the play). Masks also concealed the identity of the actor so they were able to appear numerous times within the play without being associated with one specific character. Masks could also be made for unique characters within the piece for example, ‘The Furies’ as seen in The Eumenides by Aeschylus.

How many actors were in the Greek chorus?

The Greek chorus was traditionally made up of about 50 actors at the beginning of the 5 th century BC. Their contribution to the play, usually accompanying the storytelling through song and movement, was performed in the area now recognised as the Orchestra pit.

Why did Greek theatre use masks?

The masks also offered many other functions within Greek Theatre. As the performances often took place in large open air theatres, masks would include over-exaggerated features to allow audiences further away to see what feeling was being expressed by the chorus (which would usually be the over-arching tone of the play).

What is the mantra of a lawyer?

It is meant to be their mantra, "My client is innocent until proven guilty."

Why do lawyers argue that their clients are innocent until proven guilty?

It is meant to be their mantra, "My client is innocent until proven guilty." But if you're thinking about becoming a defense attorney, it's not this pretty simple. Defense lawyers argue that their clients are innocent because they don't want their actions to seem suspect in any way. They essentially say for the sake of the argument itself. If you're trying to decide whether or not becoming a defense attorney is something you would like to do, here are five reasons why it's worth considering: