‘As Good as a Chorus’ and ‘the Vulgars Element’

The weakening of the chorus destabilises its symbiotic, triadic nexus with action and audience. In Hamlet , however, Shakespeare rejuvenates this quondam bond and strengthens and materialises this reciprocal connection between the chorus and the audience through the categorical utilisation of the chorus. Because of the sophistication of the Shakespearean audience, the chorus is designed to satisfy the varied demands of the privileged and the plebeian. Therefore, in Hamlet , a flattering chorus enchants a sophisticated audience, with vestiges of the classical chorus remaining; the privileged audience is consciously educated by the choral performance, while the vulgar audience can be musically inspired by the poetic chorus. Shakespeare innovatively revamps the chorus to recruit audiences of all stripes, and even for the vulgars, the chorus could awaken the ‘latent poetry’ therein. Moreover, in the process, the hazy subjective consciousness of the vulgars as ‘the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals’, is enlightened. Shakespeare revives the tragedy of humanity by contemporising the traditional elements.