Why Euripides The Bacchae remains relevant today

Dionysus vs. Apollo: Reason vs. the Irrational

Maenads Dancing

In a 4 page essay discuss Euripides The Bacchae and why it remains relevant today.

The Ancient Greek Tragedies of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles dramatize the
contradictions in our nature, which make the plays immune to the ravages of time. Dramas never
change - only the cast. Take Euripides' great tragedy, the Bacchae, which tells of the god
Dionysus' return to Thebes to punish his relatives who deny his divinity. He brings with him his
Bacchants, women engaged in his orgiastic rites where decency and clothes are cast off in favor
of wine and religious ecstasy. Dionysus ultimately sets his Bacchants onto his cousin and chief
mocker Pentheus, king of Thebes, who is torn apart by - among others - his maddened mother.

But it is the subjects of the play which make it eternally relevant and insightful, just as with
Shakespeare's greatest plays. Euripides creates a series of contrasts: between the buttoned-up city
with its tyrannical ruler and the open country with its licentious god and orgies, between man,
god and beast, between fear and faith. What we see enacted on stage is the tension between living
our lives by social norms, which restrict us and forbid us from indulging in pleasures we might
enjoy, and giving into our true nature, which can prove unconquerable and inhumane.

These themes speak to our lives today, as they have for centuries. People have always tried to
move beyond what society decrees. Euripides shows the sort of insight into the human psyche
that would remain buried until Freud enticed people onto his couch: we are in a constant battle
between our transgressive desires and what we think we ought to do.Though the play was first
presented in Greece around 405 B.C., many elements are still relevant today that include:

The Theatre of Dionysus, Political Theatre and the Perils of Spectacle: There are two
definitions of political theater, one applies to the realm of politics, the other to art. The
Bacchae as a lesson in the power of impulse to destroy those who ignore it anticipates and
mocks the course of Western civilization. The cliche says power always corrupts, but what is
equally true is that power always reveals. Think the Theatre of Trump.
The Hubris Syndrome and the Intoxication of Power: The Bacchae asks timeless / modern
questions on the nature of human nature and warns about the flaws in human character that
the Greeks called hamartia and hubris. Very specifically of this moment, the play is a lesson
about the consequences of narcissism. Pentheus rejects the advice of his people, who urge
him to take heed of Dionysus warnings and acknowledge him as a god. Pentheus uses his
authority to suppress those dissenting voices, and his stubborn denial leads to disaster for
both himself and his city. We can see a similar resistance to opposing viewpoints in current
U.S. leadership and current events as a consequence of political hubris and narcissism.

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 What is the role of the chorus in the play? Is the chorus morally neutral? Where is the F-you
chorus in the play? It is not clear how fully Pentheus comprehends the threat to his power as
no one with stature checks his decisions or restrain his impulses, but it is clear that insulation
from unwelcome information grows as challenges mount. Can we tap into this theme today?

The Bacchae & War: The past 15 years of American war in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere
have brought the public several incarnations of a very particular media archetype: the
Ubermensch General.

The Bacchae & Modern Cults: The play offers an unusual view of a cult in that its leader
really is the god he claims to be. Consider the god-like status we bestow on our sports, film
and music celebrities or icons today.

Dionysian religion is a return of the repressed for the full range of neurotic defenses found
in Greek culture. What is the relevance of this theme today?

Dionysian culture of ecstasy & its relation to drugs, alcohol and addiction: This marginal
reality begins with the earliest poet, Orpheus, then can be traced through the shamanic
exploits of Gilgamesh and Odysseus, from the 19th century Romanticism to the Drug Culture
of the 1960s (Sex, Drugs & Its Only Rock n Roll) to today.

Sexism, Misogyny & Womens Rights: The theme of the repression of women in The Bacchae.
Even though our society has drifted away from extremely sexist views, these opinions are
still widely held (e.g., American Sexual Predators and the Workplace). The views of our
society, regarding the social and sexual roles of women, are mirrored in this ancient Greek
tragedy.

A Third Gender - Bacchus, Identity Politics, & Gender Bending: With LGBT issues front and
center on mainstream media, its past time for our straitlaced Western society to consider
what amounts to a simple truth, that historically, ours is one of the only societies to have such
ingrained hang-ups over notions of androgyny, identity and sex very generally.

Bacchus and Social Media & Cultural Anxiety: Dionysus would have loved social media as it
encourages cruelty and creation of phony perfect online personaes.

With its questions of the unchanging nature of human nature, The Bacchae is timeless.

Study Questions

Why is Dionysus, as the Stranger, perceived as dangerous by Pentheus?

Can Dionysus be called a champion of women?

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Do Euripides's sympathies lie with either Dionysus or Pentheus? Does he articulate a clear moral
position in the play?

Does Pentheus have a 'tragic flaw' in his character? If so, what is it? What are the various
character traits attributed to King Pentheus: (a) as a king? (b) as a man?

Is there perhaps a second tragedy in the drama such as that of Agaue?

What are the various qualities of character of the God Dionysus?

How does Dionysus gain and wield influence over Pentheus as the play proceeds? To what extent
does Pentheus have the power to resist?