In the first play, the chorus is a group of old villagers. They were not able to fight in the Trojan war. They were the assistant to the Clytemnestra when Agamemnon was fighting in the war. In the second play, they are a group of slave women. They played an important role. They helped Orestes takedown Aegisthus. In the last play, they were the furies that were goddesses. Zeus made them outcast. They purify or bring those who were bad to jail. They were also in charge of the jail.
One thought on “What is/are the role(s) of the chorus(es) in The Oresteia? Remember that the three plays have three different choruses.”
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Yes, in the first play the chorus was a group of elderly citizens who were too old to fight in the Trojan War, but their main role was to fill in the audience during the play. They provided the audience with a background on what was happening and also with an easy narrative to follow along with the story. They provided guidance.