Much in the same way that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, madness and its ever-changing definition––due both to perspective and to one’s own personal beliefs––is determined by each individual on a case-by-case basis. Society caters to this fluidity by manipulating conceptions of what is acceptable and correct. In many cases, madness is simply the over-stigmatization of opposing ideas from those already set by societal norms and traditions. Depending on your environment, different practices are viewed as irrational, illegal in some extremes. In the Bacchae, Euripides exploits the duality of madness and its ability to destroy societal constraints, namely through his presentation of ambiguous gender roles and gender identity.
In the Bacchae, madness echoes the duality of man by being portrayed as a double headed beast. Madness parallels the nature of the god who inspires it—Dionysus. Dionysus’ dual-sided nature is best highlighted through his patronization of Greek theater. In Ancient Greece, only males were allowed to take part in the production of plays; as a result, female characters were …show more content…
For example, the madness present in the case of the Theban women could be considered a liberator rather than an oppressor in more ways than one. This concept of madness as a liberator is supported by the presence of wine in the midst of the Bacchants’ revels. Alcohol allows the women to release their true selves; intoxication paradoxically clouds the women’s judgment while freeing the women of the preconceived notions and duties generated by their status in society. The madness inspired by Dionysus allows the women to lose their inhibitions while at the same time unlocking the instinctive part of their identity, the part which society smothers and
In the Bacchae, madness echoes the duality of man by being portrayed as a double headed beast. Madness parallels the nature of the god who inspires it—Dionysus. Dionysus’ dual-sided nature is best highlighted through his patronization of Greek theater. In Ancient Greece, only males were allowed to take part in the production of plays; as a result, female characters were …show more content…
For example, the madness present in the case of the Theban women could be considered a liberator rather than an oppressor in more ways than one. This concept of madness as a liberator is supported by the presence of wine in the midst of the Bacchants’ revels. Alcohol allows the women to release their true selves; intoxication paradoxically clouds the women’s judgment while freeing the women of the preconceived notions and duties generated by their status in society. The madness inspired by Dionysus allows the women to lose their inhibitions while at the same time unlocking the instinctive part of their identity, the part which society smothers and