Life at its fullest

"He who best enjoys each passing day is truly blest."- The Bacchae (pg. 224)

This is a great quote in the Bacchae, the reason for this is because it relates to everyone. Its basically saying if you enjoy your life and you are happy everyday that's what matters, not how much money you have and what not. This shows the main thing in life is to enjoy it because there is no point in stressing yourself out and worrying about everything because that defeats the purpose of life, Just relax and chill and you will be blest.

Power

"What is wisdom? Or what fairer gift from the gods in men's eyes than to hold the hand of power over the head of one's enemies? And 'what is fair is always followed."

-The Bacchae

This quote is referring to the pursuit of power. It is stating that "holding the hald of power over the head of one's enemies" is the greatest feeling and the means to this end are the ones that are always followed. Also, up until this point, the chorus had been stating that observance of the Gods was the greatest cause, however the message is now changed in order to benefit them personally.

Such a terrible situation.

It can be said that under the influence of the wine god, Agaue would not have attacked Pentheus. Since it is she who betrays her own son and kills him, we see that she is sick. So much like an animal with rabies, she cannot hear he son’s pleas for his life. Under the control of Dionysus, her sense are gone and no longer is she Pentheus’ mother than a wild animal on a killing spree. “not by strength but by ease of hand that was the gift of the god.” This quote also tells us that she does not have the power over her own actions at this point. It is Dionysus himself that is doing this deed with his own power.
Relating this to Greek culture, we see uncivilized behavior from Agave who is under the spell of Dionysus. This goes to show us that Dionysus is not acting godlike at all but rather using his powers to take advantage and seek revenge on the people.

Rhetoric

"When a clever man has an honest case to make, it is no great task for him to speak well. You posess a fluent tongue, as if you were a man of sense, but your words lack all judgement. The good speaker whose influence rests on self-assurance proves to be a bad citizen; for he lacks intelligence."

-Teiresias (The Bacchae; page 134, line 267)

In this quote, Teiresias is commenting on Pentheus' rhetoric. Teiresias admits that Pentheus speaks with confidence, his message, however, is transparent, his words are meaningless. As a wise man, Teiresias can tell when a man has substance to support his superior rhetoric and when he is just blowing smoke.

Rhetoric is an extremely powerful persuasive tool. President Obama, for example, was a popular candidate during the election less because of any extraordinary political ideas, but more because of his excellent speaking ability. Even if Obama didn't have any plans to back up his speeches, he wowed the American public into electing him president.

The Bacchae

"No blood was drawn by their pointed spears, whether they used bronze or iron, but the Bacchants, hurling their wands from their hands, inflicted wounds and made those villagers turn and run - women routing men - surely the work of some god."

- The Bacchae, Page 147

Is it really so outrageous to believe a woman would fight a man? Apparently so. The Bacchants are insane, wild and 'free', and they fight and chase the villagers in their madness. They injure without piercing the skin and turn the tide of the heirarchy. No longer are men above women, they now cower. Is this what Dionysus planned? For a complete role reversal? It would appear that way as he also dresses Pentheus as a women. He is changing the entire system around.

A Recipe for Happiness

"The end of tongues uncurbed and lawless foolishness is unhappiness; but the life of quiet contentment and good sense survives the buffeting of the sea and keeps homes together; for though they dwell far off in the sky, yet the heavenly ones observe the deeds of men."

-Antistrophe, The Bacchae

Throughout The Bacchae, we see Pentheus acting in a rash and irrational manner. Speaking vehemently about things he didn't understand, refusing to believe the words of those wiser than him, and quickly jumping to conclusions without solid evidence, Pentheus is an example of a man whose "uncurbed tongue" and "lawless foolishness" resulted in his unhappiness and demise. Had Pentheus and his family exercised good sense, not only could he have been spared from his unfortunate fate, but the royal house could have avoided being disbanded, its members thrown into exile.

In my AP English class, we are reading King Lear by Shakespeare. I have noticed many parallels to The Bacchae on the theme of rashness vs reason. Lear, elderly and quick-tempered, exiles his most loyal and beloved daughter, Cordelia, when her description of the love she has for him fails to please him. Refusing to accept her explanation or listen to the common sense of his advisors, Lear banishes Cordelia and splits his kingdom between his two remaining daughters, the conniving Regan and Goneril. The decision to ignore reason and act rashly results in Lear's great suffering and abandonment at the hands of his daughters.

These two works of literature, written almost a thousand years apart, both reflect the same wisdom. Refuse reason and deny wisdom, they say, and suffer the consequences.

Ambition = madness

The Bacchae - Euripides
"To be clever is not to be wise, and thoughts that go beyond mortal limits spell a short life. In view of this who would pursue great ambitions rather than accept his present lot? These are the ways of madmen, in my verdict, whose wits have left them." - Antistrophe

This is saying that people who push themselves are mad; in other words, Pentheus, who is pushing himself to total ignorant stubbornness just to exert his power, is mad, because he is committing blasphemy. If he just accepted the trend of people worshipping Dionysus, he would have learned the beauty of his rites, and it would have been a merry time for all. To be easygoing is to be stress-free is to be wise, perhaps, in the Bacchic view.

Order and Reason = Fear and Folly?

"Take to heart what I say, Pentheus: don't be too sure that force is what controls human affairs; and if you have a thought and your thought is unhealthy, do not think your folly is wisdom. Receive the god into your land, pour libations, worship Bacchus and garland your head! It is not for Dionysus to force women to show chastity in the affairs of love; this lies in their own nature."

-Teiresias, 309-317, The Bacchae


Pentheus's traditions of order and reason have begun to lead to the destruction of his own wisdom. Preachings of Dionysus's religion make its worshippers disobey the usual, established practices of mankind and thus cause a disturbance in Pentheus's so-called "order" which he has established as the King of Thebes. Pentheus wants to use force to reinstate the city he controls, but Teiresias is wiser when he says that Pentheus should join Bacchus and worship Dionysus, furthermore that Dionysus is not responsible for how women act and they do so as they please. Therefore, Pentheus should not be responsible for forcibly controlling how his people act as well. It is now up to Pentheus to respect the wiser elder and take his advice.

What Would We Do Without A Chorus?

"Many are the forms taken by the plans of the gods and many are the things they accomplish beyond men's hopes. What men expect does not happen; for the unexpected heaven finds a way. And so it has turned out here today."
~ The Chorus in The Bacchae


The chorus in greek theatre serves merely to drill the painfully obvious morals of the stories deeper into the audiences brains. I personally find the chorus of the Bacchae to be incredibly pointless. In many stories they serve a useful purpose, such as showing how an ideal audience might react to the play, but in the Bacchae i find that they merely echo the abundantly clear morals.