Role of the Chorus in Antigone

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in Sophocles’ trilogy, it is even more vital for the chorus to provide the audience with background information since it allows for a continuous story without having to revisit past events. Early on in the play, the chorus refers to the misfortunes of Oedipus, “this gathering sorrow from time long past / Loom upon Oedipus’ children: generation from generation / Takes the compulsive rage of the enemy god” (Ode2.471-473). The chorus is not only providing background but is foreshadowing that this misfortune is inevitable. The chorus also tells the audience myths that apply symbolically to the plot and to the wrenching actions of decisions that the characters often make. The chorus makes reference to the dangers of stubbornness, a trait that both Antigone and Creon display earlier, by relating them to "Andryas’ son also, that furious king, / Bore the god’s prisoning anger for his pride: / Sealed up by Dionysos in deaf stone" (Ode4.747-750). It can also be seen here that ...

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