Role of Chorus in Electra by Sophocles

The Chorus plays a crucial role in the overall development of any Greek tragedy; they are responsible for providing the overall background and summary information of the play, alongside they interact with characters to develop the personalities of characters and drive the plot. 

The chorus is comprised of the virgins of the palace. The chorus is important in determining the tone. The Chorus sympathizes largely with Electra. They lament with her when she suffers, and rejoice when she reunites with her brother and achieves her long-desired goal at the play's end. An interpretation that centers on the Chorus might condone Electra's actions. 

But the Chorus also gives Electra a hard time, especially at the beginning of the play when she debates with Chrysothemis about how to live their lives in light of their father's murder. The Chorus actually takes Chrysothemis's side – they encourage Electra to move on like her sister, to start thinking pragmatically instead of idealistically. This tension is important – the Chorus doesn't just reiterate Electra's ideas here.

In the beginning of the play, the chorus beseeches Electra to cease her constant mourning, and they attempt to console her in her suffering. this traditionally conservative stance is slowly eroded over the course of the play; at the moment of revenge, the chorus is an active and enthusiastic participant, giving urgent warning when it sees Aegisthus returning.

The chorus initially softens its stance upon hearing Chrysothemis relate Clytemnestra's dream. They regard the dream as an omen that the retribution for which Electra so longs is near, perhaps legitimizing their support of the heroine. The urge Chrysothemis, then, to do as Electra bids and throw Clytemnestra's offering for Agamemnon away, replacing it with one of their (the sisters's) own. Afterwards, the chorus is far more sympathetic to Electra than to Clytemnestra in their angry exchange, and the chorus is as distraught at the false news of Orestes's death as is Electra herself. The chorus's support of Electra and the revenge grows thus stronger throughout the play. One effect of this is to lend sanctity to the revenge, which itself seems increasingly questionable as Sophocles reveals news things about his characters.