Greek chorus
1
7.4
- noun
- /ɡrik ˈkɔrəs/
- Literature
:
coro griego
- In the theater, the Greek chorus provided insightful commentary on the main characters' decisions.
They're in in my story, they function as a Greek chorus and they're kind of ominous figures.
- They're in in my story, they function as a Greek chorus and they're kind of ominous figures.
- Their voices weave together, circle one another, much like a Greek chorus.
- And sort of a constant discouraging presence in your mind, a sort of internalized and cruel Greek chorus that keeps telling you that you are not enough.
Examples
-
And he was convincing enough to get both paramedics moving away from the tangle of truck and Toyota, in spite of Esther Easterling's cries of pain and the rumbles of protest from the Greek chorus.
Fiction book (1999) -
They're in in my story, they function as a Greek chorus and they're kind of ominous figures.
-
No, because the Greek chorus actually reacts.
-
"She recited woe like a Greek chorus."
Fiction book (1991) -
"She offed Lucky and Lightning," said the teenager, like the surviving member of a Greek chorus.
Fiction book (1995) -
And sort of a constant discouraging presence in your mind, a sort of internalized and cruel Greek chorus that keeps telling you that you are not enough.
-
The frat boys are pretty impressive with their numbers and animal calls, like a Greek chorus, as though they really care how girls look and aren't just desperately lonely.
Fiction book (1994) -
But one can easily imagine that Aristophanes, the great comic playwright, might have written a passable Pythagorean parody for any classical Greek chorus to stand and deliver.
Academic text (2006) -
They have wrung their hands, sung like a Greek chorus about the evils of the perfidious opponent, assured us that there is no other viable option, and now they will exit the stage.
Blog text (12) -
The committee acted as a Greek chorus, reflecting the feelings and opinions of the community during the heated debate.
Synonyms
69
2.6
A group of people who sing together in a play or concert
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally combines 'Greek' (pertaining to Greece) and 'chorus' (a group who sing), so a B1 learner would likely guess it refers to a group associated with Greek culture or a singing group. However, the conventionalized theatrical role—an ensemble that comments on or reacts to the drama rather than simply singing—is a culturally specific sense that is not fully predictable from the parts without prior exposure.
Etymology
The phrase Greek chorus comes from old Greek plays where a chorus, a group of singers and dancers, stood together and told the audience what was happening and how to feel. So, today Greek chorus means 'a group that comments on events'.