CT253 Lecture Notes - Maenad, Pentheus, Bromius
Document Summary
At least three kinds of meaning: can refer to works of art (bacchae is a tragedy), real life events and a worldview. If we consider the content of greek tragedy, we find a number of themes: Tragedy points to the cluster of thematic material. Aristotle famously suggested that this mix of trauma and sorrow could engender a powerful, cathartic experience in the viewer, so that tragedy served a cleansing, life affirming purpose. Judeo christian narratives: dante (author) the divine comedy comedy"s work out, tragedy"s don"t. Dionysus: divine son of zeus and semele, also called bromius or bacchus. Cadmus: grandfather of both dionysus and pentheus, an old man. Pentheus: young king of thebes, grandson of cadmus, cousin of dionysus. Agave: mother of pentheus, daughter of cadmus, sister of semele. Setting: play opens in front of a palace at thebes, with a speech by dionysus.
