Sam as Greek Chorus?

Rachel Port

Well-Known Member
I realized in one of our recent discussions of Sam's commentary - his talk to Bill the pony - something I've thought before when one of Sam's grumbling comments seems to speak to us, especially at the end of a scene - that Sam serves some of the functions of a Greek chorus.

The site Master Class lists the functions of a Greek chorus.

  • Provides commentary on the action of a play: Chorus members commenting on the themes, messages, and unseen action of a play helped to guide audiences to understand the intended progression of a narrative. Ancient Greek theater typically involved one actor playing many different roles, and the Greek chorus helped to clarify what was going on.
  • Draws the audience in: The Greek chorus addresses the audience directly, often engaging in wry commentary seeking to let the audience in on privileged information.
  • Expresses a characters’ inner thoughts: The Greek chorus is able to reveal a main character’s emotions and motivations to the audience, even when they are trying to hide them.
Sam of course is an actor in the story, but partly because of the class difference he is also an observer. And there are examples of his doing each of the things in that list.

I'm no expert on Greek drama, but I remember when I first saw Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing one of my first thoughts was that Lee had created an Aristotelian tragedy, including the chorus of the three old men sitting on the corner. So I was pleased that the article lists that movie as a modern example of the use of a chorus. It took me a lot longer to see it in Sam - this class has helped me get there.

What do others think?
 
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