Dionysus 'Rationality In Eurpidies' Bacchae

In Eurpidies’ Bacchae, having been beset by troubles from his conception, Dionysus returns to his mother’s city, bringing along his characteristically ecstatic followers and driving mad those who slander his mother. The struggle between king Pentheus and Dionysus, rationale’s attempt to dismiss insanity, is a theme that is continuously explored up to modern times, with differing opinions on which power should be dominant.

The difference between order and chaos can be seen in the contrast between rationality and harmony associated with Apollo and animalistic madness associated with Dionysus. Where the god Apollo may conjure up images of idyllic lyre-playing, Dionysus’s Roman form has given name to “an occasion of wild and drunken revelry”, bacchanal. In Bacchae, Dionysus face opposition in Thebes, partly because of the social upheaval his cult caused. In a time where women were meant to identify as obedient daughters, wives, mothers, Dionysus’s alternative, in which women abandoned their societal duties and disobeyed social norms (wild dancing, sneaking off to “young lusty fellow”,etc.) challenges the order. Also, as a foreigner come back to his homeland, the distrust Dionysus encounters may stem from an aversion to disrupting …show more content…
Dionysian is similar to Enlightenment versus Romanticism. Inspired by classical Greek and Roman literature alongside scientific observation, Enlightenment (dominant in Europe in the 18th century) is an ideology that is keen on science, pragmatism, and values stability and harmony. The counter-movement, Romanticism, favored sensation, emotion, and the view that nature should be untamed. Interestingly, Romanticism developed as a response to Enlightenment’s extremely logical approach and later another artistic/literary movement, Realism, was a reaction to Romanticism’s extravagant approach. This cycle varying between the extremes, highlights the drastic differences and how neither one is better than the