The Sun.
London, England, 1824-08-19 00:00:00

FOR. THE SUN.

CHORUS.
In that curious part of the ancient drama, the
Cherus, the persons composing it " were not
Actors ; nor were they on the stage; but stationed
on the thymek,* which they never quitted. They
were in fact more spectators than actors ; or, as
it were, a middle party between both, so that
the representatithr was a play in a play.-- To
hamlet, who is explaining the play, Ophelia says,.
" You are as good. as a chorus," meaning
thereby ~a go-between betwixt the actors and
ItpiTtatOrs,-The chorus';--was the original and
substantivepart•of the representation ; the getting
wp was a matter of:,tate, or subject of conten-
tion of• the tribes, 'who vied., with each other in
the exhibition of their respective chorusses ; the
first persons. in each tribe were appointed.
choragi, and rivalled each other •in the
splendour and apparatus of their chorusses,
who were chosen, taught, and practised for•some
time before the grand Lentean and Dionysian
Festivals. It was a grand national exhibition of
music and danciugfand the poets, properly speak-
ing, tacked on the dialogue, to heighten the
pleasure and diversity of the"amusement. From
the splendour of the re presentationond the beauty
,of the dresses, the dancing, and the music, asso-
ciated with• the finest flights of poetry,• the. cho-
,rus was probably the most. attractive part of the
representation, though to us, stript of all its ad•
juncts, it is the least interesting;•and considered
in .a modern play an useless incumbrance."
Some of the • modern critics, who may be said•
to be inveterate in-their admiration for antiquitY,
and to venerate even the infirmities of the
ancients, have thought it a great detraction; from
the dignity and interest of the drama, to banish
the chorus, the decus. et prasidium of " olden
times," and wish to revive it, nut only for the
:sake of order and harmony, but for• the.salre 'of
morality, which might "sometimes• appear to be
lost sight of, .where some .of the. characters are
under the influence-of a vehement passion, and
then might require another sort ofpersonage, not
immediately interested in the action, to interpose
with apriestl,y, and almost divine charm, to lull the
wild demon to .sleep, with which they at certain
' intervals seem to be .struck, whether they arein-
furiated with. love, rage, or vengeance, or are •
driven headlong, without any apparent. will .of
their own,• by the blind impulse of-inexorable
fate. • •

This idea has not often been taken up in the
,practice of our dramatists, and, wherever it bas,
by no means answers the sanguine hopes of the
learned critics, who must, notwithstanding their
learning, in public representationsoubmit to, the
voice of the. people, who have generally found
the modern chorus too tame and. uninteresting to
make any harmony in the theatre— Nor calk it
be so necessary now,. when there is -so great a
variety of
,character :of both sexes :introduced
upon the stage ; the countenance- of ,the goddess
Destiny sufficiently softened by our:milder and
bettor notions of providence, and a predominant
pashion not so often permitted to absorb .the
tioi' .effect and moral of Ow . • •
Lt ROUSSEAU, (says Sysimorgs) in his remarks on
the opera of Alctittis, has some pertinent obser-
vations on the dramas and the language of Greece;
Contending, that the former were.operas, and the
latter was of so musical a' nature, that its mere
promociation, as it Were,. constituted music
whereas, in all tpoderu languages,' the association
of MUSIC with words is • unnatural and hardly
tolerable. Hence with us, in operas, where
.mthic prevails, sense, poetry, and dtatnatic
in-
terest,vanish--very differently in Greece, where
one heightened the pleasure of the other." This
quotation from RoussEAu Mr. SYMitiONS
serves to explain why a chorus, whenever it has
been attempted , in, our times. by the ablest tra.
genial's, has unifermly, failed in its effect upon
the audience ; cud why the fashionable attend•
ants upon our operas listen rather to the music
than the words, to the sound rather than the
sense, and are so satisfied with.the former that
they do..not take. the first step•necessary to catch
the latter, or, learn the language in which it is
recited : and why so many. assist with their eyes
and not .their ears, content to be spectators, WO,
nt some of the most trifling dumb.shoiv,' rather
than enjoy 0110 Of. the finest dramas of METAS-
TASIO, a few scenes of which they think enough,
impatient for the ballet, and their hearts dancing
with joy, in unison with the heroes and heroines
of the too') as it pirouettes •in fascinating circles
of attraction till the' other is obliged to come to its
Supprt. •

S YAIMONS, however, very justly brings this
fascination of the chorus as 'a reason why, in
YLL/f/ and the other Greek tragedians, they
are made to act in such a manner as would not be
,tolerated on our, stage. In the Hippolytus of
EURIPIDES, a professed follower of nature, the
damsels :who compose his :chorus take occasion
to sport with the better feelings, and lay bare
the selfishness of the human heart ; for when the
cries of Phaedra are heard from behind the
scenes in the agony of death, to a iiroposal made
by a part of the chords,who call, out " Our Queen
is hanging, shall we go and release her from the
rope," the other part. of the chorus answer her
very coolly—" 'Tis not our place ; are there not
men
,servants to do.that office ? meddling in this
life often brings us into trouble," or, in the words
of Hamlet to. Polonius, we find that. " to be too
busy. is some • danger." No. wonder such senti-
ments have met with reprobation as they did
with .ARISTOTLE.; but the. apology for these
damsels, as well as for the old gentlemen, who
in ,the. Agamemnon, appear to be acting burlesque
in the midst of a horrid scene of tragedy—is very
strikingly offered by SYSIMONS' reference to the
constitution of the chorus itself, who could not
be, made by the tragedian to fly to the assistance
of-their Monarch, because • they 44 were not in

• The Thyniele,' according; to Schlegel, was situated in the
centre of the building, tl.oin which the measurements were
calculated, and the semi-circle of the theatre was described
ropnd that point. It was therefore an excellent contrivance to
place -the: chorus ,' (who were the ideal representatives of the
spectators) when theydittnot. sing,: but merely took an late-
reit in the actipn, in tbe,xery situation, miter, all the ragij con-
centrated. It was an elevation, 'says Mitchell, in 019 front of
tho orchegra, with steps resembling an altar, •lut the top of
which the jeader of the chorus-or coryphseus, took-his station
to see what was passing:ou the staje3 and to communicate with
the 'characters: •

reality actors on the stage, but stationed on the
thymele"—a •place behind the orchestra, from
whence Biel( office was to, deliver appropriate
speeches, and to explain unconnected or obscurer
parts of the drama, and to recite moral and ge-
nerous sentiments which they do in this and other
plays—but not to take part in the action as heroes
or heroines, or in any other character which
might be thought necessary foil. occh-
sion, or Corresponding with the maxims which
they never scrupled) in the midst of danger
and in the face of death itself, to -pro-
i this chorus of Agamemnon, indeed,
part
f the old gentlemen put on a chivalrous air
and attitude,—menacing 46 to break in instantly,
at-the cries of the king, who is being stabbed, and
see what is done, when the fresh sword is stream-
ing with the blood,"—" It is no time for dallying
'and delay,—the overture of tyranny's begun—
and to upbraid the others for standing loitering."
But all this is introduced chiefly to humour
theleelings so natural to arise in the mind of the
spectators, and to eke out the time which is ne-
cessary for the perpetration of deeds behind the
scenes, which the ancients thought too horrible to
be done in the sight of a delicate and polite as-
sembly, Who yet were to. be informed of the
transactions, in order lo feel all the interest which
the Diatha alTords

At the catastrophe in this play,.the Chorus up-
pear to take an active hart, and to remonstrate
in'the boldest terms with the king's murderers,
for not only committing so fnul a crime, but
im-
piously making it the subject " of wanton mer-
riment."' So active a part do they take, .that
2EDbisthus to make them cckeep a sober tongue
within their head," threatens them with rattling
chains,.and dungeon keep below-----excellent phy-
sicians (or proud spleen ; and when they cannot
be silenced by these threats, but still up-
braid bulb for his falSehood and his cowardice,
he grasps hia hand upon his sword,, ready for the
combat with these old men, who yet are not .so
old but they hail to his words, and prepare them-
selves for the affray, 'which would have ended
in blood, if Clytemnestra had not interposed with
that apology for their crimes sO common to the
criminals in the heathen drama, more
.e.specially
of high rank, the:inevitable fatality—.

" The thno and fate that attUle us apt, een so as we have acted,"
imploring "Egisthus not to wade still further in
blood. than Destiny seems to demand, for. that
would only r.,,rove.that he was struck with the
demon ill his horrid rage,'.'.
Hence, he .is perSuaded to think nought of
their vain barkiugs, and with threats for the
future leaves them for the present in peace, all
which might be necessary for the catastrophe:of
the play. .They were at so critical a season, to
perform apart, as. if they were interested in the
scene of action, because the.passions of the peo-
pie, whom they-were. to improve as well as amuse,
Were so highly worked .up, that they could scarce
conceive it possible, for any men,however old,orby
the kW of the drama not supposed to he actors in-
deed upon the stage, yet as standers byror mere
lookers on, not to partake of the same, strung
feelings with them, and appear at least to defend
by arms what they so.nobly maintain by words
at so important n crisis, which so naturally calls
forth such sentiments of horror end indignation
at, the ,great scandal just perpetrated, and, what
is worse, defended by the specious hypocrisy of
its insidious perpetrators. This, therefore, as en
extreme case, Is fairly to be reckoned-an excep-
tion which proves •the general rules :-that the
chorus is not brought upon the stage as any
part of the charactors which are actually
engaged In the plot, but only as speakers
who were placed in a, certain station near
enough to be heard, In order to. communicate
some part of the play which could not so well
be. introduced by the characters themselves, or
.to deliver the moral upon each event as it arose,
for the•relief and improvement of the spectators ;
or to , give • soma interlude, to refresh a poetic
people like the. Athenians, in high' strains of mu-
sical strophes and anti-strophes, while the actors
themselves were away.; but these strophes and
anti-strophes still :had some relation to the main
subject, however distant, yet quite with affinity
enough to•keep up the present spirit, and unite
with the actors in maintaining its chief design.

AWFUL SunnEN DE/mi.—Yesterday, at one
.
o'clock, an Inquest was hehl at the Swan, in Hungerford-
.
market, before G. H. GE 1. 1., Esq., on the body of Mr. Jona-
than Warren, who died . suddenly on the previous day.—Mr.
Sprigg Homewood, of No. 476, Strand, oilman, deposed, that
the deceased was a blacking-manufacturer, in Hungerford-
market ; he came into his shop to purchase some Venetian red,
and asked for apannyworth.• Witness went to get some, when
the demised said he .wonld have half .a pount... At this time
the counter was filled with bottles, owing to the windows being
cleaning. The deceased put a shilling on the counter to pay
for the article, when he appeared to stoop as if to read the
labels. on the bottles, and suddenly: pitched forward on them
with his face, and fell on the ground. Witness considered he
was in it fit ; his temples' were bathed with water, and medical
assistance sent for. The deceased changed colour in the face ;
he never spoke after. he fell.—Mr. ,John Williams, surgeon; of
No. 51, Strand, stated he attended the deceased about a quar-
ter of an hoUr after the occurrence. Witness examined him,
and found that the pulsation of the wrist had entirely ceased ;
he therefore instantly opened the temporal artery, but no blood
isitUed; he appeared quite dead. Witness had no doubt, from
his general appearance, that he died of upopleiy. Had he
(witness) been present at the moment, he did not think it po3.
sible any assistance could be rendered him.—Other witnesses
were present to corroborate the above testimony, but the Jury
intimated that they were satisfied, and, after viewing the body,
they unanimously returned a verdict of " Died by the visitation
of God."

TRISH RIOT IN NEW YOIIK.--" On Monday
afternoon, it heing the anniversary of the Battle
of the Boyne, a number of Irish Protestants un-
dertook. to celebrate the day in this free Country,
which cares not a rush for Kitig William, the
Battle of the Boyne, Vinegar-hill, the Stuarts,
or Plantagenets. They assembled at -Greenwich,
with drum and fife, and flags, and grog, and be-
coming turbulent and disorderly, they excited the
ire and indignation of the Irish Catholics, who
hoisted an emblematical flag, obtained a drum
and fife, and formed an opposite procession, and
the parties having come in contact, a furious fight
ensued; Which resulted in sundry.broken heads
and bloody noses, together with many violent and
revengeful expressions. Complaints were made
against 33 rioters, who were bound over to take
their trial for riot and assault and battery,"—
(National Advertiser; of July 22.)