The dramatic function of the Aeschylean chorus

Abstract

The qualities of the Aeschylean chorus are distinct from the ideal Schlegelian chorus as has been shown by many works listed here. With these conclusions as a foundation, the author determines what office is actually filled by the chorus in the dramas of Aeshylus. An examination of each choral part of each play has been made, with a view to determining its dramatic use. In such determination, it is necessary to have at least a general assumption as regards the method of presentation. The most prominent fact we have found is that in the dramas of Aeschylus, unlike, for the most part, those of Sophocles and of Euripides there is continuous perceptible development. The chorus in Aeschylus is an aid to the dramatic effectiveness of the play, and has no interpretive function; it is used to inspire, not to soothe, emotional feeling; the open expression of emotion decreases, and religious feeling increases, with time.