In Euripides’ Medea, although the Chorus does not have any participatory role in the action of the drama, their dramatic significance arises from their role in exposing Medea’s character, the norms of Corinthian society and in underlining Medea’s contradictory response to Jason’s betrayal of his marriage vows, thereby illumining the Colchian, Medea’s, isolation from Corinthian society. As a representative group of civilized Greek society, the Chorus also serve as the voice of justice and morality, condemning their hero, Jason. Furthermore, despite common gender woes binding the Chorus of Corinthian women to Medea, their moral censure of Medea’s horrific revenge highlights Medea’s implacable hatred.
As the Chorus of fifteen high-born Corinthian women march onto the orchestra in the parodos, they reveal their distance from Medea, referring to her as the ‘Colchian’. However, by also referring to the outsider as a ‘neighbour’ they have befriended, they highlight Medea’s cleverness in establishing affiliation with the Corinthian women as a benefactress with her power of sorcery and foreshadow her ability to win their support despite being an alien. Representing stereotypical Greek women and the code of conduct they abide by through their usage of first person plural pronoun ‘we’, they illumine Medea’s alienation. By showing that Medea’s loud lamentations have drawn out the Chorus from ‘deep’ within their houses to comfort and placate her, and teach her moderation and mute