In the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles, the narration is performed by the Council of Theban Elders, also called the Chorus. Rather than having an outside narrator appear on stage to inform the audience members of things they need to know, Sophocles used an interesting device of having the council of elders, who are always at hand to advice King Creon, perform that function. The Chorus has several functions in the play, in fact. First, it provides the most poetic and artistic passages of the play, reciting choral odes that include elevated commentary on the themes of the play. These include the Ode to Man, Ode to Love, and Ode to Zeus. Second, the Chorus informs the audience of how it should react to the story as it progresses. Initially the Chorus sides with Creon, but as Antigone and Haemon make their arguments and when Tiresias the prophet adds his perspective, the Chorus changes its mind and sides with Antigone.

The third function of the Chorus, as mentioned, is to elucidate actions that occur before the play and off stage. Thus they give the backstory of the two brothers killing each other in battle, and they describe the deaths of Antigone, Haemon, and Euridyce. They provide a summation of the story as well, ensuring that the audience understands the point of the play, namely that:

Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness; and reverence towards the gods must be inviolate. Great words of prideful men are ever punished with great blows, and, in old age, teach the chastened to be wise.