" This way I will cause him greater torment than anything. And you others, go through the town and track down the womanish stranger, who infects our women with his new-fangled disease and pollutes their beds. Once he is caught, bind him and bring him here to face the penalty of being stoned to death, after seeing a painful end to his revelling in Thebes."

(Bacchae, line 350-356)

The reader can see that Pentheus is a man and we can see is human side, including his desires. I will not say that he is attracted to Dionysus but I do feel that he is somewhat connected to him. I feel like he does not want feeling and desire out because that would bring chaos, so he tries no destry it, and because he has feeling toward dionysus he wants to get rid of him too

Teiresias the prophet

" When a clever man has an honest case to make, it is no great task for him to speak well. You possess a fluent tongue, as if you were a man of senses, 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."

(Bacchae, line 267-272)

Teiresias the same prophet that tried to stop Oedipus from finding out his terrible fate, appeares in The Bacchae to do the same for Pentheus. He not only knows that Pentheus is in big trouble with the gods because of the way he talks blasphemy of them, but he also knows that Pentheus although he knows how to talk, all he talks is wrong, so he is trying to make him see that. Teiresias therefore is attaking rhetoric because he basically is saying that because someone speaks well, does not mean he is correct and it does not matter if he is the ruler of Thebes.

Hubris

"If I catch him inside the borders of this land, I'll cut his head off his shoulders and put a stop to his making his thyrsus ring and shaking his locks! This is the man who says that Dionysus is a god, this the man who says he was once sewn into the thigh of Zeus, when in fact he was destroyed by the fiery lightning bolt, he and his mother, because she falsely named Zeus as her lover!"

(Bacchae, line 233-243)

Pentheus shows that he does not believe that Dionysus is a god and he is willing to kill him. This is not only prove that he is disrespecting the gods, he also feels superior to them and therefore shows Hubris behaviour. I think he is so into his perfect controled world that he does not realize that terrible things could happened to him. He is not only disrespecting Dionysus the god but also his mother "he and his mother, because she falsely named Zeus as her lover!" and most important of all, he is insulting Zeus that is not only his father but also the god of the gods, so the reader I thing right away feels that his punishment is going to be very harsh.

Chaos is a blessing?

" This city must learn its lesson, however reluctantly, that it lacks the blessing of my rites."

(Bacchae, line 39-40)

Dionysus is the God of wine, his "power" is make people do what they would not dare to do if they were normal. Alcohol inhibits the senses therefore the way people respond to thing under the influence of alcohol is different. This spell people are in when dealing with alcohol usually cause chaos, that its not usually thought of it as a good thing. In Thebes the feeling of rejection toward chaos is the same.

Dionysus wants to bring Chaos into their lives, but I do not feel like this is a bad thing, is just like he stated "This city must learn its lesson", I feel although control and order is needed, there has to be a balance between order and chaos. I feel as he wants to show the other extreme in order to have a balance between the two.

Conquest

“Heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters.”

- Alexander the Great

Yet another example of his unwavering drive to rule the world, he believed he could be the supreme ruler of the world. There would be no one else, like there can be only one sun and only one moon - he would be the only one ruler.

The Rise and Fall

A tomb now suffices him for whom the whole world was not sufficient.
- Unknown, in reference to Alexander the Great

He dreamt of owning the world, of achieving the impossible, and if anyone could have done it he was most likely. Regardless of the conflicting views on Alexander he was a brilliant tactician with ambition that surpassed all else - or so we are led to believe by historians. He wanted the world and it ended for him like for any other, in a tomb where he was laid to rest.

Believe What You Want

Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt : Men willingly believe what they wish

-Julius Caesar

No Difference

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

This quote relates to all the great leaders of the ancient times, the reason for this is because they didn't only give there men greatness and their city civilization , they taught them how to do it for themselves and that is the greatest power. If they just got everything from the leader they wouldn't now how to do it for themselves and everyone would rely on the one person and if something was to go wrong and the person passed away that city would be done. That's why you must teach people your powers and the world around you will be a better place.

Wisdom

"Cunning is but the low mimic of wisdom"

-Plato

To be cunning is defined as skill employed in a shrewd or sly manner, as in deceiving, or craftiness.

To be wise, is to have the quality or state of being wise and having the knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action.

Obama the Peace Keeper

2009 Nobel Peace Prize

"I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations - that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice"

"I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage"

It seems that Obama is tackling everything. Now he has the Health Care Reform Bill taken care of as well. What will he do next!

The Coliseum: The Symbol of Rome?

"While stands the Coliseum, Rome shall stand; / When falls the Coliseum, Rome shall fall; / And when Rome falls - the World."
~~ Lord Byron

The man

"I came, I saw, I conquered."- Julius Caesar

Great Respect

The she-wolf is the famous symbol for the city Rome and is known as there symbol around the world. The above picture is the logo of the soccer team Rome F.C and i find it interesting that even though it is famous for Rome , they have it on their soccer jerseys in order to represent there club. This shows how much respect they have for the myth of Romulus and Remus and without them this great empire would never be were it is today.

“One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo’s nest"

"He knew you can’t really be strong until you can see a funny side to things”

It's been said that laughter is only cure. Well this quote from Ken Kesey's, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, shows that you can't be strong without a sense of humor. Why go through life being serious all the time. People may just regard you as a pessimist, and who needs that. Look at the glass as half full, and get a sense of humor. 

Humans, Vessels for the Future

"A few of the sublimest geniuses of Rome and Athens had some faint discoveries of the spiritual nature of the human soul, and formed some probable conjectures, that man was designed for a future state of existence."
~~ David Brainerd

"That man was designed for a future state of existence." This concept summarized by David Brainerd is something that many of us fail to see as the big picture today. It is true that in order to survive we must prepare for what we may face in the future but that is true with all living things. What makes this quote special is that it's attributing this idea to Rome and Athens. The invention of democracy in Athens can be critiqued as its most decorated example of preparing for a future state of existence since we still take from its origins in today's governments. Therefore saying that, "man was designed for a future state of existence," isn't all that off from the big picture.

The Philosophical Emperor

He who has seen present things has seen all, both everything which has taken place from all eternity and everything which will be for time without end; for all things are of one kin and of one form.
~~ Marcus Aurelius

Great Leaders

"I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion."- Alexander the Great

This quote is great and it tells you what Alexander the Great was like, This quote is saying it is better to have a great leader to guide you through battle and that it will help more to have a great leader instead of just having a mediocre one even if you do have a great army. This relates to him since he was a great leader and is one of the most famous ones to ever step foot on the earth. This makes you think would you really want a army of sheep over a army of lions just because of a great leader? Well if it wasn't for this quote people would easily take the lions but when you think about it The great one makes a good point.

Rome is a Tough Place to Be

"I'd rather be first in a village than second at Rome"

~ ~Julius Caesar

Caesar is attributing to the idea that it isn't at all easy being the emperor when there are so many that look up to him and so many that want his power. His degree of power is somewhat similar to that of Alexander the Great in the sense that thousands of others look up to them as leaders. But as Caesar admits it in his quote, the power comes with its everlasting price and that is, the need to stay on top.

no more worlds to conquer

It was said that Alexander wept when he looked about at his vast empire and said, "there were no more worlds to conquer."

I believe that Alexander the Great was the only general in the history of the known world who could attribute to that claim. Hundreds upon hundreds of generals after him aspire to him as they can only dream that they can come near the glory that Alexander had achieved in his monumental conquest.

bloody innovations

"Alexander's revolutionary practice of total pursuit and destruction of the defeated enemy ensured battle casualties unimaginable just a few decades earlier. At the Battle of Granicus, Alexander destroyed the Persian army outright, surrounded trapped Greek mercenaries and massacred them all - except 2 000 whom he sent back in chains to Macedon as a warning to other recalcitrant Greeks. Sources disagree over the precise casualty figures, but Alexander may have exterminated between 15 000 and 18 000 Greeks after the battle was essentially won - killing more Hellenes in a single day than the entire number that had fallen to the Persians at Marathon."
- Butcher of Macedon by Victor Davis Hanson

In order to create a powerful legacy, something innovating must be done and what Alexander did was both brilliant and disturbing. His tactics of total pursuit is comparable to that of trained dogs. The fear from the chase even after surrender was obviously a very formidable component of Alexander's success that also took a significant part of his reputation as a relentless killer. Therefore if Alexander hadn't made use of this tactic, I believe he wouldn't have come anywhere near to the level of success that he'd experienced on his renowned conquest.

What Is It Really?

History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon.
- Napolean Bonaparte

I have actually often wondered at this, what exactly it is that makes us believe that what we are being taught it the truth. For us there are certain portions of history we are sure about, the ones of the more recent centuries that have written evidence and photographs. However, as we move further back - all the way back to Alexander, to Aristotle, to Rome and to Egypt - how do we know that the common belief of what has occurred is factual? We have bits and pieces, small writings or larger pieces written by people during that period but there is no true way of knowing the truth in these documents. Yes, we have artifacts but sometimes what we perceive has occurred is not what has actually happened. Napolean voiced this wonder, history is what has been generally agreed upon as most probable. Makes you wonder.

Bravery and Cowardice

"A coward turns away but a brave man's choice is danger"

- Euripides

There are many views on Alexander the Great but one that reigns supreme is his courage. His methods are disputed, some idolizing him for his strategy and his 'story' while others are mildly disgusted with the methods he undertook on his quest to rule the world. However, like I mentioned, they all speak of his bravery. This quote is quite appropriate to describe Alexander as he was not a coward if we are to believe what we read, he was brave and he wouldn't back down in the face of challenges. His choice was to march into the thick of battle, whether it be a small skirmish or a daunting opponent. He chose danger.

...

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." Ralph Waldo Emerson

this is the stupidest thing i have ever heard , why would anyone even want to live if you werent happy, like omg , this is dumb, why would anyone else care about your accomplishments except you, when you accomplish something , then you are happy therefore happyness is your purpose. noone cares at all what you do , or whether you have lived well , or were honorable, it comes down to every man for themself.

No time to spare

"You get in there, you get the job done and you get the hell out."- Tom Petty

" only dumb people are happy " - courtney love , this is a genious quote because dumb people dont have time to think things through , which really is what makes you unhappy, the more you think about anything the more unhappy you get . with relation to oedipus or frankenstein they were smart and they got screwed, and with relation to the poor aids infected african people , they have no knowledge about anything , they just sing some songs and dance around , life's good for them.