The story and text are shockingly simple. Bacchus is a new upstart of a god whose adherents and ritual worship rub King of Thebes Pentheus the wrong way. He disapproves and attempts to dissuade, disband, and disabuse Bacchus’ followers. Little does Pentheus know that he is dealing with Bacchus himself in disguise. Bacchus plays some funny tricks which end in Pentheus dressed as a woman to spy on the ribald rituals of the worshipers in the woods. He is eventually paid back in full for his scorn of this god as he is torn apart piece by piece in a bacchanalia of blood and his head is placed on a pike by his mother who has her sight and understanding distorted by Dionysus until she presents the head to Pentheu’s father Cadmus.
The point of the piece is a bit confusing. It extolls the unquestionable powers of Dionysus while also portraying his worshipers in a negative, vapid, violent light. I suppose it is an indication of Euripides’ fair-minded evaluation of the cult of Bacchus. On one hand, there are beautiful, poetic, enjoyable aspects of worshipping this god, while on the other there is fanaticism and violence. Interpreters have suggested polar opposite interpretations through the years with some arguing that Euripides intended to display his religious commitment through the play and others saying it was his condemnation of the flaws of religious devotion.
This is considered one of the greatest dramas from antiquity. I am not sure exactly why, but I haven’t read very many plays from this era so I guess I’ll just trust the experts. To me it felt a little silly with all the cross dressing and trick playing but then took an extremely dark turn at the end with all the tearing people apart by hand and mothers putting their sons’ heads on pikes. I wonder whether the original audience would have taken the whole play as deadly serious as a god (the god to whom plays were largely offered as an act of worship, no less) was being actively defied and they knew all along the disastrous, violent end to which these actions would lead.
Interspersed throughout the play, often coming in the voice of the particularly insightful chorus, are tidbits of wisdom and warning seemingly directed at the audience. A few favorites:
“Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish.” A wisdom we can all appreciate and the wise among us have certainly experienced. A fool fails to recognize himself as foolish even in the presence of great wisdom. Indeed it is the most foolish who claim for themselves the mantle of wisdom.
“In various ways one man outraces another in the race for wealth and power. Ten thousand men possess ten thousand hopes. A few bear fruit in happiness; the others go awry. But he who garners day by day a happy life, him I call truly blessed.” What an enduring message for contemporary life where stress and striving can occlude one’s appreciation of the present moment. Let us content ourselves with what we have and live this more blessed life.
“The gods have many shapes. The gods bring many things to accomplishment unhoped. And what was most expected has not been accomplished. But god has found his way for what no man expected. So ends this story.” Whether a belief in God, gods, fate, phantasm, or the workings of a godless universe lies in your heart, all can appreciate the need for humility, equanimity, and adaptability to the uncontrollable movement of our lives.
In all, I very much enjoyed this play. Despite the vast chasm of worldview that lies between ancient Greeks and modern Americans, Euripides wisdom and storytelling ability endures and can be appreciated by all. Though I won’t be rushing out to see a modern adaptation of the play (modern theater reads and is produced very differently), I am interested to read more from Euripides and the other great playwrights from antiquity.
A-
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