El seguici dionisíac com a reflex dels cors de les tragèdies tebanes de Sòfocles

Abstract

Sophocles’ tragedies on the Theban cycle evoke Dionysus’ choruses in three different occasions (Ant. 1115-1154, OT 209-215 and OC 668-693) that, despite the twenty years at least between the tragedies, share key features. This paper analyzes these passages, paying particular attention to the lexicon and the concepts related to the Dionysian cult, in order to clarify how certain aspects are highlighted in each case and how they are related to each play. The chorus’ songs depict Dionysus’ nocturnal dance with his retinue of nymphs in the middle of a wild nature, which contrasts with the distressing situation the god is invoked in. Each invocation serves a particular purpose in its play, but, at the same time, their coincidences point to the chorus’ intermediary role between the natural world governed by Dionysus and the theatrical context.