According to Sigmund Freud, the purpose of life is to find happiness and avoid suffering. He claims that civilization is “the achievements and the regulations which distinguish our lives from those of our animal ancestors.” Through his analysis of people, he came to the conclusion that civilization is counter-productive to the ultimate goal of pleasure. We will attempt to determine how Euripides believes civilization relates to individuality through a Freudian analysis of The Bacchae. To do this, we must first analyze the roles of Pentheus and Dionysus given Euripides’ specific characterizations of them. Then we will perform an analysis upon Dionysus’s character evolution then move onto doing the same for Pentheus. Afterwards, we must analyze
…show more content…
At the end of the summary, Dionysus names Pentheus saying, “I will demonstrate to him, and to all of Thebes, that I am a god” and if necessary “will join that [Bacchants] army” in order to protect those whom he has helped. Dionysus gives off a definite feeling of anger and determination at this point. But he then changes his tune and says that when his task is complete he will “join them[Bacchants] in their holy dance” (pg. 193), which leads into the chorus’s opinion of him. The chorus describes Dionysus as the “god of laughter” (pg. 193), the “spirit of revel and rapture” (pg. 194), and the “god of joy” (pg. 196). Other characters also describe him similarly at first, and in some cases, they use the exact same words. We, as the audience, see two contrasting views of Dionysus. The first, a hint of darkness and destruction, is covered by the second lighter and more feminine personality for quite a while. The first is not see again until the end of his first conversation with Pentheus where Dionysus becomes frustrated with Pentheus and threatens him. Dionysus fights against being tied, and twice he says, “I warn you” (pgs. 208-209). Dionysus is definitely not joyful or gentle in that moment nor in the following scene when he creates an earthquake to destroy the palace of Pentheus. Dionysus is the god of wine, theater, revelry, and …show more content…
Pentheus begins as a strong figure shouting and outraged at Dionysus. He wants to destroy Dionysus and goes to drag the women (Bacchae) back to town where he believes they belong. But, after a brief shout and a quiet question from Dionysus, Pentheus’s anger is gone. While it is possible that Euripides is attempting to imply that Dionysus used some magic or godly power to do this, there is another possibility which aligns with Freud’s psychoanalytical theory. In his first conversation with Dionysus, Pentheus admired him like a woman would a man. When Dionysus asks Pentheus whether he would like to watch the Bacchae, unrestrained and dancing, Dionysus is appealing to and drawing out the hidden part of Pentheus he had seen previously. By dangling this natural inclination of Pentheus in front of him, Dionysus tempts Pentheus. We are not privy to Pentheus’s internal thoughts, but in the end, he threw away his propriety to instead follow his desire. Thereinafter, he is submissive to Dionysus and protests only once against him. Even then, Pentheus objects only briefly to Dionysus’s idea to disguise Pentheus as a woman, which suggests that it was not a serious protest but merely one last pretend attempt at holding onto his front of masculinity as dictated by his position in Theban society. In the end, Pentheus happily dresses as a woman thus representing
At the end of the summary, Dionysus names Pentheus saying, “I will demonstrate to him, and to all of Thebes, that I am a god” and if necessary “will join that [Bacchants] army” in order to protect those whom he has helped. Dionysus gives off a definite feeling of anger and determination at this point. But he then changes his tune and says that when his task is complete he will “join them[Bacchants] in their holy dance” (pg. 193), which leads into the chorus’s opinion of him. The chorus describes Dionysus as the “god of laughter” (pg. 193), the “spirit of revel and rapture” (pg. 194), and the “god of joy” (pg. 196). Other characters also describe him similarly at first, and in some cases, they use the exact same words. We, as the audience, see two contrasting views of Dionysus. The first, a hint of darkness and destruction, is covered by the second lighter and more feminine personality for quite a while. The first is not see again until the end of his first conversation with Pentheus where Dionysus becomes frustrated with Pentheus and threatens him. Dionysus fights against being tied, and twice he says, “I warn you” (pgs. 208-209). Dionysus is definitely not joyful or gentle in that moment nor in the following scene when he creates an earthquake to destroy the palace of Pentheus. Dionysus is the god of wine, theater, revelry, and …show more content…
Pentheus begins as a strong figure shouting and outraged at Dionysus. He wants to destroy Dionysus and goes to drag the women (Bacchae) back to town where he believes they belong. But, after a brief shout and a quiet question from Dionysus, Pentheus’s anger is gone. While it is possible that Euripides is attempting to imply that Dionysus used some magic or godly power to do this, there is another possibility which aligns with Freud’s psychoanalytical theory. In his first conversation with Dionysus, Pentheus admired him like a woman would a man. When Dionysus asks Pentheus whether he would like to watch the Bacchae, unrestrained and dancing, Dionysus is appealing to and drawing out the hidden part of Pentheus he had seen previously. By dangling this natural inclination of Pentheus in front of him, Dionysus tempts Pentheus. We are not privy to Pentheus’s internal thoughts, but in the end, he threw away his propriety to instead follow his desire. Thereinafter, he is submissive to Dionysus and protests only once against him. Even then, Pentheus objects only briefly to Dionysus’s idea to disguise Pentheus as a woman, which suggests that it was not a serious protest but merely one last pretend attempt at holding onto his front of masculinity as dictated by his position in Theban society. In the end, Pentheus happily dresses as a woman thus representing