Strophe

Strophe definition

Before looking at 'strophe' more closely, let's define some basic concepts surrounding the topic. First, we need to know that the strophe is one part of a traditional Greek ode.

There are many variations of the ode. However, it is the Pindaric ode that contains the epode we are looking at today.

Each section of the Pindaric ode usually consists of one poetic stanza (group of lines), and the three combined parts make up a 'triad'. In ancient Greece, these odes were typically chanted aloud to an audience by a chorus.

Now that we've gone through the basic concepts, let's tie them all together by looking at a definition of a strophe:

Before we look in more detail at the differences between the strophe, antistrophe and epode, let's look at their purpose as part of the Pindaric ode.

Strophe purpose

Within Pindar's traditional odes, the primary purpose of the strophe, alongside the antistrophe and epode, was to celebrate triumphs and victories.

In particular, Pindar created several odes honouring competitors of the Olympian (now Olympic) games. Here's an excerpt from an ode dedicated to Herodotos of Thebes¹, celebrating his victory in a chariot race.

Pindar praises Herodotos, claiming he has earned fame by handling his reigns without assistance. What's important here is the celebratory tone that he adopts. This is a common theme throughout all of Pindar's works, so much so that they are collectively referred to as the 'victory odes'. These poems were rich with emotion and metaphorical language and would have been performed alongside music.

The Pindaric ode was also popular in ancient Greek tragedies but served a slightly different function within them. The chorus functioned in tragedies to provide context, pass judgements, summarise backstories and, at times, change the course of the narrative. This meant that the tone of these odes varied frequently.

However, the performance in Greek tragedies would have closely resembled that of Pindar's original odes. In both cases, the chorus moved across the stage in unison, chanting the three different sections aloud to the audience.

Fig 1 - Masks were often used to hide the identities of the performers in the chorus. This is because the chorus typically acted as a collective, unified voice rather than as a group of individuals.

Now that we understand how the strophe functions as part of the Pindaric ode, let's look in more detail at the difference between the three distinct sections.

Strophe and antistrophe

As previously established, the three parts of the Pindaric ode are the strophe, known as the 'turn', the antistrophe, known as the 'counter-turn', and the epode, known as the 'stand'. The name of these sections corresponds to the movements of the chorus on stage.

When the chorus recites the strophe, they move from right to left across the stage (turn). While chanting the antistrophe, they head in the opposite direction, back to the original side (counter-turn). The strophe and antistrophe can repeat multiple times as the chorus moves back and forth. When the ode is set to end, the chorus stops in the centre of the stage and stands still, chanting the final epode (after-song).

Fig 2 - The chorus would start at the right of the stage, move to the left (strophe) and then back to the right (antistrophe) before finishing in centre stage for the epode.

You'd be forgiven for believing that strophe and antistrophe are direct opposites to each other, but this isn't wholly true. Both parts are written using exactly the same structure. The poet can choose whichever meter, rhyme pattern and length they like, but they must mirror these features across both the strophe and antistrophe.

In contrast, the epode uses a new metrical structure and tends to be much shorter in length. Think of the epode as the conclusion, where the poet summarises what he has previously said and ends the ode in a nice, neat way.

Now let's look at the importance of the strophe in more detail.

Strophe importance

The next questions to be asked are: what importance does the strophe have as a separate entity from the antistrophe and the epode? Why split the ode into three sections at all?

The most straightforward answer here is: for theatrical effect. Greek odes were traditionally set to music and were sung rather than spoken to the audience. Splitting the ode into three parts gave the chorus cues to move around the stage in a rhythmic, lively way. The result was an intense, exciting dance designed to mesmerise and entertain the audience. Without the strophe, there would be no antistrophe and thus no opportunity for stage movement in the style that the ancient Greeks perfected.

The strophe can also set up ideas and themes upon which the antistrophe will either expand upon, as in the case of traditional odes, or conflict against, as in the case of some Greek tragedies. For example, if the strophe was celebrating the achievements of an individual, the antistrophe may describe the adversity they faced. If the strophe in a Greek tragedy described an attack launched on a city, the antistrophe could detail the rebuttal to this.

Examples of strophe

Let's look in more detail at an example of a strophe from ancient Greek theatre. We'll then explore one of Thomas Gray's reinterpretations of the Pindaric ode.

Sophocles - Antigone

Let's start by looking at a classic example of the strophe in Greek tragedy. This is the English translation of a strophe from the Parados (first song) in Sophocles (496BC-406BC) Antigone (441BC). Choragos refers to the 'leader of the chorus', meaning that the second half of the strophe is spoken by one person.

In this strophe, the chorus rejoices at the end of a long skirmish, observing that the sun has returned now that the battle is over. They also give important details about the central conflict of the narrative.

While the celebratory nature of this verse closely resembles that of the traditional Pindaric ode, the information provided shows us the dual purpose of many odes in Greek tragedy –⁠ to provide essential context for the audience and to help them understand the narrative.

Thomas Gray - The Bard: A Pindaric Ode

Thomas Gray (1716-1771) is one of the poets regularly credited with reinterpreting the Pindaric Ode structure for the English language. This is the first strophe from 'The Bard: A Pindaric Ode' (1757)

In this strophe, the English King Edward I (1239-1307) returns from a victorious battle in Wales. In the antistrophe which follows, the King meets a Welsh bard who curses him and invokes three shades who were victims of the King.

Fig 3 - This painting, The Bard (1817) by John Martin (1789-1854), is based on Thomas Gray's poem of the same name. It depicts the Welsh bard standing high above the King and invoking a curse upon him.

The contrast between the celebratory strophe and the malicious curse of the bard in the antistrophe shows us how the parallel structure of the two sections can be used to present conflicting ideas.