Euripides the Bacchae

Human beings constantly struggle with the balance of control and freedom. In The Bacchae, Euripides illustrates the extremities of emotion and rationality through his characters. Euripides also hints at the necessary balance of divine law and human law. Through his two characters Pentheus and Dionysus, the use of the Bacchae and the downfall of the royal family, Euripides shows that if one lands emotionally or rationally at the high end of the spectrum, chaos is inevitable.

Pentheus is a young, newly made king who refuses to accept Dionysus as a god. As a main character, Pentheus represents the essence of extreme rationality, and his lack of divine law leads to his downfall. For instance, after catching glimpse of Tiresias and Cadmus in costume attire, Pentheus shuns his own grandfather and elder: "shame on you, old man. You both should have some sense at your age" (Euripides 1.251-252). Pentheus' rationality is to follow human law. Living in a Greek society, his lack of respect for divine law shocks even his kin. Pentheus slanders his own aunt, Semele saying "she lied when she named Zeus as her lover" (1.245-246). Pentheus' extreme rationality leads him to disregard his own family, for he plans on capturing and punishing his mother and aunts. Furthermore, Euripides hints that Pentheus' new role as king makes him arrogant. His rationality only resides to human law. For example, he sends his guards to punish Tiresias and "take his sacred head-wrappings and toss them out, leave them to the wind and rain" (1.349-350). Pentheus lacks emotion and disrespects his elders and family. Euripides shows the negative aspects of extreme rationality with Pentheus' escalating downfall. First Pentheus captures Dionysus but doesn't know that Dionysus gave himself up willingly. Dionysus then continues to trick him numerous times, but this is only the beginning of Pentheus' downfall.

Likewise, Dionysus directly juxtaposes Pentheus, for he is the epitome of emotion and had no regard for human law. As a god of wine, Dionysus represents pleasure, sensuality and sex, which revolve around emotion. His own family disrespects him. They do not believe that he is truly a god. Taking revenge, Dionysus "stung these women into madness, goaded them outdoors, made them live in the mountain struck out of their wits, forced to wear [his] cults panoply" (prologue.33-35). Because his emotions overcome him, Dionysus causes a whole city to agonize. Women are especially targeted as a result of Dionysus indignation. Moreover, reason has no place in Dionysus' divine law. Compared to Pentheus, Dionysus is also arrogant because he does not like the idea of people questioning his divine status. His emotions cause the whole city of Thebes to suffer. Dionysus brings suffering upon his family and eventually kills his own cousin.

Additionally, The Bacchae are the worshippers of Dionysus. Included in this Baccahe are Maenads who dance in frenzy on Mt. Kitharon. The Maenads symbolize the inevitable chaos due to Pentheus' extreme rationalism and Dionysus' extreme emotions. For instance, when the Bacchae killed the village men, the messenger reported "the men could not draw blood with their javelins, but the women hurled the thyrsus and injured them so badly they turned tail and ran-women over men! Only a god could make that happen" (3.761-764). The Bacchae bring on chaos and misery of the city. The Bacchae have no restraint, and this represents Pentheus' lack of control over his city. Pentheus utilizes his logic to try and take control, but only instigates