CMLT316 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Pentheus, Sparagmos, Maenad
3 Jun 2018
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Class 13: Dionysus and His Retinue, Demeter and Persephone
Dionysus and the Pirates: His “Homecoming”
● Dionysus was kidnapped as a youth by pirates bc he looked rich (could be ransomed)
● On the ship, only the helmsman thought that Dionysus might be more than an aristocrat
● Dionysus bound (but frees himself); all the pirate except for the helmsman become
dolphins
Dionysus and Pentheus: Euripides’ Bacchae
● Dionysus makes his way to Tebes to punish the royal house and prove his divine status
● Pentheus (his cousin) was a young ruler who hated the Dionysian rituals (negative “cult”
associations) and tried to stop them
● Captured the disguised Dionysus and holds him prisoner
● Dionysus frees himself and causes Pentheus to become possessed
● Convinces Pentheus to spy on his mother Agave (sister of Semele) and his aunts
● They mistake him for a lion cub and dismember him
● They return home with their “prize” only to see the truth
Dionysus and Pentheus
● Elements:
○ Establishment of Dionysus as a god (cf. Hermes)
○ Sacrilege/over propriety of Pentheus
○ Paradoxical nature of Dionysus: self control/madness
○ Elements of Dionysian mysteries (religion)
Dionysus and Ariadne
● Ariadne:
○ Daughter of Minos (Crete)
○ Helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur
○ Abandoned (somehow) on the island of Dia (Naxos)
○ Dionysus either kidnapped or rescued her
○ Perhaps early fertility goddess (Aphrodite)
Pan: Deity of the Wilderness
Arcadia: Home of Pan
Satyr
● Half man, half animal (usually a goat, but sometimes a horse or other hoofed animal)
● Overindulges in sex (often pursues female followers of Dionysus) and alcohol
● Sometimes interpreted as “proxy” for male desires (or representation of extremes)
Silenus: The Older, Drunk Satyr (and sometimes the guardian of the young Dionysus)
Maenads/Bacchae
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Class 13: dionysus and his retinue, demeter and persephone. Dionysus was kidnapped as a youth by pirates bc he looked rich (could be ransomed) On the ship, only the helmsman thought that dionysus might be more than an aristocrat. Dionysus bound (but frees himself); all the pirate except for the helmsman become dolphins. Dionysus makes his way to tebes to punish the royal house and prove his divine status. Pentheus (his cousin) was a young ruler who hated the dionysian rituals (negative cult associations) and tried to stop them. Captured the disguised dionysus and holds him prisoner. Dionysus frees himself and causes pentheus to become possessed. Convinces pentheus to spy on his mother agave (sister of semele) and his aunts. They mistake him for a lion cub and dismember him. They return home with their prize only to see the truth. Establishment of dionysus as a god (cf. Abandoned (somehow) on the island of dia (naxos)
