The Role of the Audience for Playwrights and Production Companies

In drama, the audience behaves as one of the most important aspects for playwrights and production companies. Most playwrights try to incorporate the audience into their by representing them on stage by certain characters or aspects. Audiences witness this in the two plays, Medea written by Euripides, and in Don Juan written by Moliére. In these plays, the playwrights incorporate the audience in their play, and talk to them directly, by placing a character in the play to represent the audience's ideas or predicted train of thought. In Medea, Euripides uses the Chorus to represent the audience, by asking characters questions the audience might be thinking mid-play, while passing judgments similar to the audience's thoughts. In Don Juan, Moliére accomplishes the same task, by having a character represent the audience's ideas, while also posing their questions. These playwrights incorporate the audience into their plays, and this is crucial to the plays' success because it clarifies points and gives greater insight towards the playwrights' intentions.

The Chorus in Medea represents the audience in many ways, by asking questions, and presenting their thoughts. The Chorus is composed of several Corinthian women, who are characters on the stage, and who express their ideas in verse. Throughout the play, the Chorus behaves as the "mind state" of the audience. They talk to Medea throughout the play, sympathizing with her heartbreak, and offering their condolences. Early on in the play, they ask the Nurse to tell the story of Medea, by saying "I heard her voice, I heard that unhappy woman...Old Nurse, tell us about her" (30-34). This is crucial to the play because without them, Euripides would have had to find a less direct method of expressing the prior events, and it would have been less effective. This shows how the audience needs the Chorus to keep themselves involved in the play, and to provide clarification for deeper character analysis.