The Bacchae: Play Analysis

Improved Essays
The majority of humankind has long since moved passed the days of very simple living, where life was nothing more than a collection of tasks that got a person and their family through to see the next day. Now, humans have built massive cities, clear lands and mold them as they see fit, and leave marks of their presence everywhere on the planet. For most, it has become a game of obtaining the most materials for the cheapest, calling their methods under the moral microscope, both for the treatment of the workers involved in obtaining those materials and how they treat the environment that those materials are extracted from. Though there are people who try to fight for the right way to go about things, there is still the overhanging theme …show more content…
The Bacchae is a play written by Euripides, a greek playwright, whose works consisted mainly of tragedies that bore heavy messages on topics like war, religion and the greek gods, and the place that woman held in society (Roche, vii). Euripides was one of the last great playwrights of the Greek times, along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, who were much more popular than him in the time that he lived (Burke). Euripides’ heavy plays with large and noticeable lessons in them, were not pleasing to the people of the times, because he was in Athens, where the short coming in performance at war were still very raw with the people (Burke). Nonetheless, it is Euripides’ work that sticks with us today, the lessons presented in his plays ringing true in some fashion ages later. There are several messages that can be pulled from Euripides play The Bacchae; it’s a complicated story, added to by the fact that it is a play that is meant to be performed. The Bacchae is a play about a Demigod turned God at his father 's wishes whose name is Dionysus. Dionysus is the God of wine, merriment, insanity, and nature (Roche, 78; Burke), and …show more content…
They tell us what we can do to try and make it easier on the world. But even in their efforts to try and get it all to work out, they are still trying to hold control over the way nature works. If people take a lesson from one of the underlying messages in The Bacchae and stop trying to control nature, for the better or the worse, it will all sort itself out. Currently, it is most likely that that won’t happen. The human world is no longer a place where the only thing that every family does every day is try to survive. Humans have ‘upgraded’ the quality of life, and in doing so, there are now millions of people that couldn’t tell one end of the hoe from the other, and buy all of their food in stores that had it shipped into that location. If human where to stop doing anything that did anything harmful to nature, the human race would perish. However, humans could cut back on their activities that are harmful and try to give back as much as they take

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The definition of the word religion is the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. The Greeks and Romans, during the Trojan War, prayed, and made sacrifices to their gods, to better their chances of winning the war, or simply beating their opponent; in literature, the relationship between gods and devotees are portrayed much differently. Even though the stories contain different religions, Euripides’s the Bacchae, Homer’s the Odyssey, and Virgil’s the Aeneid discusses religion in terms of personal needs, or popularity, amongst the gods, rather than devotion and good deeds. The Bacchae by Euripides is an ancient Greek tragedy based on the myth of King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother, Agave,…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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.…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Euripides’s Bacchae is a tragedy about a mother killing her son. While the plot of it is very simple, the thematic implication is what makes this play so fascinating. One of the themes in this tragedy is one about free will. Free will, or the absence of it, is a catalyst for the end result of the tragedy. Two very important mortal characters in this play, King Pentheus of Thebes and his mother Agave, are both stripped of their free will and are manipulated by Dionysus, the god of wine and madness.…

    • 1595 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are two external forces that control the universe in the Bacchae, man made traditions and the gods’ control of humanity. Euripides emphasizes that humanity needs to balance the laws and customs of civilization (reasoning) and the sensual and mystical forces of nature (“spiritual” exploration) in order to avoid chaos and self-destruction. He does this by contrasting masculine and feminine characteristics of Pentheus and the Maenads women, particularly Pentheus’ mother Agave. The inexperienced king, Pentheus, has the tragic flaw of having overconfidence when attempting to understand the situation or problem in front of him.…

    • 745 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Conversely deforestation has continued at a rapid rate, and people are running out of resources to live on. Much of the fishing industry also suffers extreme losses due to the endangerment of so many species. Global warming has become a threat to future generations, and the signs have been made clear of this. The transgressions and their harms are endless. The world has been invaded by the human species and the entire biosphere suffers the magnitudes of these…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Violence In The Bacchae

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages

    From a close analysis of the end of The Bacchae, readers can observe the society’s tolerance for violence and unquestioning trust in leaders. When the messenger comes back to Thebes to report the death of Pentheus, his use of language greatly differs from that of the chorus members and Agave, and through the differences and similarities, we can understand the common values of the time. The messenger seems distraught when he comes into Thebes, and it is clear from his tone that he does not approve of the Maenads’ mindset or Agave’s actions. He is surprised by the chorus’ response to the news of Pentheus’ death, so he asks them, “does my master’s anguish give you joy” (Euripides 67)?…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Archetypes In Medea

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Originally performed in the festival of Dionysia in 431 BC, Euripides' tragedy Medea may have been controversial to the predominantly male audience of the time. Subverting Athenian cultural norms of the era by presenting a female perspective, Medea exposes not only the flaws in individuals but also within society. In this play there is an imbalance of passion and logic, which has dire consequences for an individual and an even “greater ruin” for humanity and society at large. Medea is characterised as the impassioned protagonist representing the emotional pillar of Athenian society. Euripides emphasises that the majority of the male audience not only need to aware of the dangers of excessive passion and emotion as one leads to cold logic that's…

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Medea Feminist Analysis

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Medea: A Feminist Cry The majority of the plays written in Ancient Greece diminish women. Women were put into the same category as slaves and children. For the most part women were treated as objects instead of actual people. Women were given to men as time during times of war.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Antigone And Medea

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Tragedy can often change the outcome of certain circumstances by altering the behavior and testing the character of those involved. Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea are impressive works of literature that completely embody this statement. They are the types of literature that evoke emotions of understanding and justification within the audience at certain times. Both female character influences the actions of those around them with their owns. For instance, both Antigone and Medea take extreme measures in order to obtain revenge or it may seem that way.…

    • 328 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Euripides’s ancient Greek tragedy Medea renowned itself as a play that truly dwells into the depths of human actions and psychology. It provides the reader with an insight into the lustful and often abusive nature of men as well as the hardships faced by women during those times. Ultimately, both the adaptation of Medea by Robinson Jeffers and the translation by Diane Svarlien revolve around a central theme: Jason abandons Medea for another woman. After being abandoned, Medea seeks what she believes to be a necessary comeuppance. Although the theme of each play remains the same, the characters themselves are depicted entirely different.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How Is Medea Similar

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Two of Euripides’ plays, Medea and Alcestis have many similar themes, but with many differences. They deal with topics such as the role of women and their expectations by men. The characters are very similar in many aspects, but different when it comes to actions and expectations. Medea and Alcestis have many similarities, but are about as different as can be when it comes to the expectations of women in Ancient Greece. Alcestis is the personification of the perfect woman, loving, caring for her children, obedient, loyal, everything a Greek man could want in a wife.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Darkness within a Person The author of the ancient Greek tragedy Medea is called Euripides. This author is considered “one of the most gifted Athenian playwrights of the fifth century BCE… was also well known for his poetry and only 19 plays of work have survived until today” (Emmons and Tschen). Euripides was such an influential writer during his time because of his approach on Literature was different amongst other playwrights. His plays conveyed a “darker side of existence, with plot elements of suffering, revenge and insanity” (Biography Editors).…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Medea and the patriarchy In Ancient Greece, most of the literature and writing were composed by elite, wealthy, and well-educated men. The play Medea, written by Euripides is no different than most of the plays of the time except for its subject matter. Medea is about Medea, a strong mother from a foreign land, who is cheated by her husband Jason. What is different about this play is that Medea does not act as a woman should according to the traditional customs of the time. Instead, Medea tries to break down the walls of injustice and point out the patriarchal society present, and the consequential oppression of women.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Medea Passion Analysis

    • 1075 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “Medea explores the tension between reason and passion”. Discuss It is within the very nature of humans to isolate the polarised forces of reason and passion, yet within his Greek tragedy Medea, Euripides demonstrates the “fatal results” of possessing a predisposition for either frame of mind. Indeed, the antagonistic relationship between Medea and society best contextualises the gripping antithesis between maintaining an acceptable outward demeanour and laying bare our inner impulses respectively, however, at its core, this rupture is also self evident on an intrapersonal level as observed in Medea’s character. In presenting the consequences of the oppressive culture of Greek society, as well as the extent of destruction entailed with Medea’s…

    • 1075 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The human-caused factors substantially outweigh the natural occurrences in the environment. These factors are defined by the human population, social wants and needs, and the energy used (Tait, Hanna). The innovative technologies used today are greatly depended on because they are what keeps the developing society and economy functioning. It is inevitable that the finite resources and short-term demands of the human population will overwhelm the planet to replenish and provide in order to satisfy the population. As Paul Gilding, a writer, activist, and adviser on sustainability states, “we 've created a little too much stuff -- so much that our economy is now bigger than its host, our planet”.…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays