On Reading Renaissance Closet Drama: A Reconsideration of the Chorus in Fulke Greville's Alaham and Mustapha

The chorus in Fulke Greville's closet dramas Alaham and Mustapha has previously been understood to be the philosophical mouthpiece of the author. This article proposes a reconsideration of the chorus in Alaham and Mustapha that takes account of two important contexts: Greville's poetics, which is informed by his theological and political thought, and the broader context of genre. The article first contrasts the classical chorus with the chorus in Renaissance closet drama. Because of its new generic context, the chorus takes on a role very different from its classical counterpart: it becomes the object of skepticism and doubt, a public voice that must be scrutinized in the private act of reading. When read with an awareness of the generic distinctives of Renaissance closet drama, it is evident that Greville's chorus is not an authoritative commentary on the plays. Alaham and Mustapha invite readers to read reflectively and critically, questioning the chorus's authority.