An Interlude

There are two phenomena that are most frequently mentioned in discussions of the fourth-century dramatic chorus: the presence of a scribal mark, χοροῦ‎ or χοροῦ μέλος‎, in the traditions of textual transmission of later classical drama, and Aristotle’s criticism of choral odes, labelling them embolima. Chapters 1 to 4 displayed all the positive evidence for the presence and activity of the chorus in fourth-century drama, and Chapter 5 considers these two phenomena in a new light. Returning to the very basics of how both χοροῦ‎ and embolimon might be understood, and noting how and why traditional interpretations of the terms have come about, this chapter seeks to reconfigure current understanding of the development of the fourth-century dramatic chorus. It is seen that it is possible to reinterpret the two phenomena and align their use in antiquity with the rest of the book’s positive evidence.