Severity and significance of betrayal the Chorus by the protagonist in Euripides’ Medea and Sophocles’ Oedipus.
...m the usual chorus of many plays as it is more formal. In many plays the chorus is first seen coming on singing a structured verse. In Medea they enter during a lyrical part of the play, they are brought to Medea by her cries; this sets the mood of their first lines as the sentences are rather short and integrate into Medea’s grief. This shows the stronger role and relationship that the Chorus has with Medea. The fact that the Chorus is more than just narrative and an instrument used to communicate with the audience, it is a vital character to the portrayal of betrayal, which is a major theme in the play. Throughout the play the Chorus is supportive and understanding of Medea and her actions. The Chorus remains loyal to Medea even when she goes to the extent of planning to kill Jason, his new bride and the King Creon; ‘A thankless death to anyone who has unlocked the pure heart of one who is dear and then dishonours her! He’ll be no friend of ours’. [pg 45] The dramatic irony sets into place as this happens later in Medea’s killing of the Princess and the King Creon. The Chorus support the murders and this shows a nearly unbreakable bond with the protagonist. The relationship between Medea and the supporting women change towards the end of the play. As Medea announces that she plans to kill her own children, out of revenge towards Jason, the Chorus does not agree with her. This marks the beginning of Medea’s betrayal of them. The Chorus is needed to support Medea, as her actions would have seemed pointlessly vengeful without it. The role of the Chorus is to show how most women of that of that time felt and their care an understanding for each other. Medea uses the over exaggerated support from the women to justify the killing of her two sons, she betrays the Chorus by using their support against them. Despite the plea to reconsider, Medea still murders her children, breaking the maternal instinct towards her children. By doing so she also breaks the well-established bond between the other women thus she betrays the Chorus. From then on the Chorus looks down on her; ‘Miserable woman, you must be made of stone or iron, to kill the fruit of your womb, a self-inflicted fate.’ [pg 89] The Choruses play very important roles, which sets major themes about both plays. The Chorus in Medea represent the women of Corinth, the sanctity of womanhood and their role in society. Without the Chorus, Medea would not have had the support she needed to kill the Princess and Creon, and with out them, there would not have been the comparison between the wishes of Medea wanting to kill her children, and the women with a strong maternal instinct who want to keep the children safe. Without the Chorus, there would not have been the betrayal of womanhood as there would not have been the thoughts of women without them. The chorus was necessary for the tragedy to have such an effect due to the betrayal of the bond that the Chorus and Medea had grown throughout the play. This theme also inherits another theme from the play, which is betrayal. Betrayal is arguably the biggest theme in the book and as Medea betrays everyone that is close to her it seemed inevitable that she would betray the chorus. In the play Oedipus by Sophocles, just as in Medea, the betrayal of the Chorus is also a major theme. The Chorus represents the Theban elders and citizens. Similar to that of Medea, the Chorus in Oedipus enters before the first stasimon. This shows there is an initial connection and communication between Oedipus and the Chorus. In Medea the chorus is biased in supporting the protagonist, however, in Oedipus the chorus is the voice of reason. This is evident from the quarrel between Oedipus and Teiresias when the Theban elders intervene and try to remain the neutral partner; ‘Sir, to our thinking, both of you have spoken in the heat of anger. Surely this is not well, when all our thought should be, how to discharge the god’s command. [pg 37] The first stasimon of the play has the chorus summarising what had happened in the conversation between Oedipus and Teiresias. After what they have heard from the prophet about Oedipus living in sinful relations with his mother and that it was he who killed his father, the Chorus still remain neutral and level headed; ‘I impute no blame till blame is proved.’ [pg 39] Oedipus’ betrayal is in fact constant from when the play begins; however the truth is not revealed, a...