CLASS 40 Lecture Notes - Lecture 27: Pentheus, Euripides
Document Summary
The bacchae represents dionysus as an excessive god who puts his demands for. Additionally, in convincing pentheus to dress like a woman, dionysus does more than recognition before justice, which we can see in his refusal to stop the dangerous effects of his actions, and his harsh punishments. In his quest for recognition and honor, dionysus makes all the women go mad. Dionysus comes to thebes for justice regarding his mother"s name and making his godliness well-known. Initially, the women dance and honor him, but do no serious harm. Dionysus" punishment, however, is driven by a need for recognition, and does not stop when he has received justice. Instead, the women become violent, attacking all those that deny dionysus, or that threaten them. The women even tore a herd of cattle apart, pulling a mewling calf in two (euripides 36, ll.
