Overview

The Hidden Chorus investigates the relationship between the chorus of Greek tragedy and other types of choral song in Greek society. Choruses performed on a range of occasions in Greek culture, ranging from private weddings and funerals to large-scale religious festivals, yet the relationship between these everyday or 'ritual' choruses and the choruses of tragedy has never been systematically examined. L. A. Swift discusses choruses from five ritual genres: paian (religious songs of celebration or healing), epinikion (songs for athletic victors), partheneia (songs for the transitions of young girls), hymenaios (wedding song), and thrênos (funerary song), and explores how these choral forms are evoked in tragedy. By examining the relationship between tragic and non-tragic choral song, she not only provides new insights into individual plays, but also enriches our understanding of the role poetry and song played in Greek life.

Full Product Details

9780199577842

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Reviews

Because her reading involves such a close and careful engagement with the language of the plays, Swift is able to give an account of the big picture questions- what tragedy is saying about humanity and the gods- that is neither banal nor anachronistic Emily Wilson, Times Literary Supplement

Author Information

L. A. Swift is Junior Research Fellow in Classics, Trinity College, Oxford.

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