What's With the Chorus?

In ancient Greek plays an theatre, the actors were not the only ones who were in the spotlight. The chorus, or background choir, was actually one of the most important parts of the individual play. (Actors in the Ancient Greek Theatre) They have multiple jobs within the play itself. One on the most important was to bridge the gap between the audience and the players by narrating the emotions and occasionally rewording some of the scenes in common grammar. They acted as characters in the background, such as worshipers for the gods, etcetra. The chorus would add in questions, opinions, warnings, facts, and acted as kind of a constant summary for the spectators.(The Use of the Chorus in Greek Theatre). As theartre became more advanced and the number of actors began to increase, the chorus became smaller until it dwindled down to about 12-15 in tragedies and about 24 in comedies. Their entrance, or parades, marked the beginning of the play, while their exit, or exodus marked the end. There were a variety of different choruses as well. In tragedy, they were solumn and low, called the "emmelia". In comedy, it was funny and lighthearted, called the "codrax". And in satyric drama, it was jeering, called the "sicinnis".(Actors in the Ancient Greek Theatre) All in all, the chorus made Greek theatre what it was, and although the actors, perhaps, received the glory, the real credit, in my opinion belongs to the hard working volunteers that allowed the public into fine arts.