Euripides, The Bacchae

Author: Euripides (480 - 406 BCE)

Date of Publication: 405 BCE

Place of Publication: Athens

Language: Greek

Genre: Drama Tragedy

Quick Summary

The Bacchae is set far before the Trojan War in Thebes. Dionysus, the son of Zeus and Theban princess Semele, punishes the city for not recognizing him as a god. In particular, Dionysus punishes his cousin Pentheus, who is driven mad and killed by the women of the city when they are in a Bacchic trance. By the end of the play, the entire ruling family of Thebes and their palace are destroyed.

Chorus: Maenads (followers of Dionysus)

Themes: Power, disrupting binaries, order vs. chaos, divine madness

The Bacchae was produced near the end of the Peloponnesian Wars, when Athens was losing influence and power.

Dionysus's Birth. When Semele was pregnant with Dionysus, no one believed the father was a god. Jealous, Hera convinced Semele to ask Zeus to show himself in his full divine form, which killed her. Zeus saved the fetus Dionysus and sewed him into his thigh to finish gestating. Dionysus thus had two births.

Founding of Thebes. Thebes was founded by Cadmus when he sowed the teeth of a slain dragon in the ground. The teeth grew into soldiers, who fought each other until there were only five left. These five spartoi helped Cadmus found the city. Cadmus

Tiresias. Tiresias was a blind prophet of Apollo who had the gift of clairvoyance. One famous incident involved him being changed into a woman for seven years as punishment by Hera.