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The Chorus in Greek dramaThe use of the Chorus in Elizabethan plays derives ultimately from its use in Ancient Greek drama, where it consisted of a group of actors who spoke in unison or were sometimes divided into two groups to speak alternately, in a kind of conversation or debate.The Chorus represented a voice that stood apart from - and commented on - the main action:It might be heard as a community voice, interpreting the action in terms of the moral and cultural practices of the timeIt might comment favorably or unfavorably on the behavior of the charactersIt might discuss the role of the gods in supporting or opposing one or more of the charactersIt might simply fill in parts of the action not seen on stageAt the end of the play, it might provide a moral and religious comment, pointing the lessons to be learned from the action just witnessed and offering warnings or advice.The Chorus in?Doctor FaustusNot all Elizabethan dramas include a Chorus; where it does appear, it has been reduced to a single voice. Its inclusion depends very largely on the kind of play that is being presented and whether a Chorus is necessary or appropriate.In Shakespeare's?King Henry V?(1599), for instance, a play which includes military sieges and battle scenes, the Chorus is used to ask the audience to exercise their imaginations to conceive of such vast doings taking place in so small a theatre.Doctor Faustus?employs the Chorus in a number of functions:To explain the kind of play the audience is about to witness (Chorus 1)Tell ‘the story so far' and fill in details of Faustus' birth and early career (Chorus 1)To anticipate the first part of the action, as Faustus turns towards forbidden knowledge (Chorus 1)To fill in episodes not represented on the stage and to introduce a new location (Chorus 2). This is spoken by Wagner, but in a manner very similar to that of Choruses 1 and 3To inform the audience of Faustus' increased reputation as a learned man, and his summons to the court of the Emperor (Chorus 3)To offer a more intimate view of the change in Faustus' behavior as the end of the play approaches. In scene 12, the Chorus identifies himself as Wagner and speaks in a language?register?similar to that he uses elsewhere in the playIn the final lines of the play, as a moral guide for the audience. He asks them to: ‘exhort the wise / Only to wonder at unlawful things' and to think carefully about what they have just seen, so as to avoid being tempted ‘To practice more than heavenly power permits.’_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Chorus in Greek dramaThe use of the Chorus in Elizabethan plays derives ultimately from its use in Ancient Greek drama, where it consisted of a group of actors who spoke in unison or were sometimes divided into two groups to speak alternately, in a kind of conversation or debate.The Chorus represented a voice that stood apart from - and commented on - the main action:It might be heard as a community voice, interpreting the action in terms of the moral and cultural practices of the timeIt might comment favorably or unfavorably on the behavior of the charactersIt might discuss the role of the gods in supporting or opposing one or more of the charactersIt might simply fill in parts of the action not seen on stageAt the end of the play, it might provide a moral and religious comment, pointing the lessons to be learned from the action just witnessed and offering warnings or advice.The Chorus in?Doctor FaustusNot all Elizabethan dramas include a Chorus; where it does appear, it has been reduced to a single voice. Its inclusion depends very largely on the kind of play that is being presented and whether a Chorus is necessary or appropriate.In Shakespeare's?King Henry V?(1599), for instance, a play which includes military sieges and battle scenes, the Chorus is used to ask the audience to exercise their imaginations to conceive of such vast doings taking place in so small a theatre.Doctor Faustus?employs the Chorus in a number of functions:To explain the kind of play the audience is about to witness (Chorus 1)Tell ‘the story so far' and fill in details of Faustus' birth and early career (Chorus 1)To anticipate the first part of the action, as Faustus turns towards forbidden knowledge (Chorus 1)To fill in episodes not represented on the stage and to introduce a new location (Chorus 2). This is spoken by Wagner, but in a manner very similar to that of Choruses 1 and 3To inform the audience of Faustus' increased reputation as a learned man, and his summons to the court of the Emperor (Chorus 3)To offer a more intimate view of the change in Faustus' behavior as the end of the play approaches. In scene 12, the Chorus identifies himself as Wagner and speaks in a language?register?similar to that he uses elsewhere in the playIn the final lines of the play, as a moral guide for the audience. He asks them to: ‘exhort the wise / Only to wonder at unlawful things' and to think carefully about what they have just seen, so as to avoid being tempted ‘To practice more than heavenly power permits.’ ................
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