Clash Of Thebes In Sophocles The Bacchae

Improved Essays
The Bacchae is set in the ancient city-state of Thebes. In the Bacchae, Dionysus is spoken to as the primary character and hero who is chosen to build up himself, and his functions, at his place where Dionysus was conceived of Thebes. Dionysus, the offspring of Jove and Semele, recounts his treks through spots, for example, Lydia, Persia, Arabia, at that point Asia, lastly how he came back to Greece. He clarifies how he educated the general population living in these fluctuated lands his ways and riddles. In Thebes, in any case, those in the illustrious house were declining to allude to him as the child of a divine being. He came back to Thebes in a camouflage and was alongside his Bacchantes, ladies who frequent the slopes encompassing Thebes …show more content…
The god Dionysus gets back home to Greece carrying with him the religion he's roused all finished Asia. When King Pentheus of Thebes declines to adore him, the play emits with viciousness. Some portion of what makes The Bacchae still opportune today is its investigation of religious clash. (“You see, they should have […] known better […] my mother's sisters, who said that I, Dionysus, was no son of Zeus"). That is the modest representation of the truth of the century. The way that his mortal relatives deny that Dionysus is really a divine being is the contention fermenting at the core of the play. All the appalling blood and disorder that we see is a consequence of this religious contrast. (Cadmus: “I’m already, see, complete in Dionysiac trappings. And why not? He’s my own daughter's child”). Wouldn't it be somewhat irregular in the event that one of your relatives was a divine being? That is the circumstance that old Cadmus is in. Here we see him grasping the new religion of his grandson. Not at all like Pentheus and whatever remains of his family, Cadmus absolutely becomes tied up with the eternality of Dionysus. Obviously, this doesn't help at all before the finish of the play. He's rebuffed as well. The Bacchae also exhibits the theme of feminism by investigating the issue of womanliness in many fascinating ways. We see a gathering of ladies defy their place in the public eye and usurp the energy of the men. Strangely, these ladies don't do this of their own volition. They do as such under the burden of a male god. Obviously, this male god is a little feminine himself. (Chorus: “Him [Dionysus] who his mother miscarried in a blast of light from Zeus, […] was taken by Zeus and sheltered within his thigh: stitched with golden brackets, secreted from Hera."). Here's an intriguing reversal of the part lady. Dionysus started as an embryo in the womb of his mom, Semele. In any case, when his dad, Zeus,

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Thus, while the physique of Torso of Dionysos or Apollo is blatantly one of a youth man, one striking aspect is that of the shoulders, which appears more feminine than masculine. This feminine quality is a result of the slenderness of the curve of the shoulder, especially around the bicep. Yet, instead of this feminine feature detracting from the work, it instead humanizes the god by softening their visual representation. Moreover, the physical strength of the figure’s body could be taken as an embodiment of spiritual…

    • 1090 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    She remains in the south her entire life in order to put focus on the realization as to what has been lost through this migration from the south once the man returns. Toomer 's intentions in weaving these two pieces together are to illustrate the transformation that African-Americans underwent, as they migrated from the south to the north, and the noticeable changes that occurred in the case that they returned to the south once again. It is through this medium that Toomer conveys the cultural loss of the south caused by the historical Great Migration. In The Bacchae, one important thing to note for future reference in Toomer 's Cane is the character Dionysos, who is first seen arriving in the land of Thebes, from which his worship has been forbidden.…

    • 1599 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Women in Ancient Greece lack the rights that the female gender have grown in to today. The men during this time are blatant about their sexism, expecting the women to remain submissive to their husbands, take care of the children and household duties, and be as modest as possible. There was no free-will involved as they were married off without a say and their lives consisted of them as the subservient wife. Dionysus changes this, taking the women as his worshipers, also known as his “Bacchae”. Their unabashed, newfound sexual freedom astounded the men.…

    • 1479 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The play Antigone by Sophocles presents a case of the conflicting perspectives between the protagonist and the antagonist. The contrasting notions are evident regarding religion, duty, country and family. The contrasting views are occasioned by the sense of pride among the characters who believe their stance to be right as compared to the attitude of the other. However, the play partly promotes some of the conflicting perspectives while it also leaves the audience to choose on the stances to promote. To enable the reader to make a decision, it is observable that the perspectives taken by the two characters have dire consequents.…

    • 102 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pentheus's Point Of View

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Summary: In the last third of Bakkhai, Pentheus makes his way to the mountain, Pentheus is killed by his mother, Agave, and Kadmos daughters, and Agave is exiled after returning to sanity. In the 4th choral ode by the Bakkhai, they tell the tale of how it happened when Pentheus made his way to the mountain to hide and spy on the women. Pentheus was taken from his hiding spot then Dionysos set the women “loose” on him. Agave led the charge to kill him, and the women ripped him limb from limb and scattered all of his body parts along the mountainside.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The German philosopher Hegel construed the play “Antigone” as “the tragic collision of right against right, with both sides equally justified.” This play was written by Sophocles, a Greek playwright, around 441 BC and gives us insight into his mindset on society and culture. The central conflict rises from the clash of the main character, Antigone, and her uncle, King Creon, over the role of man’s laws and god’s laws in society. Antigone’s two brothers Polyneices and Eteocles had slain each other in battle over the throne. King Creon, who was loyal to Eteocles, rendered Polyneices a traitor and decreed that his body shall not receive a burial.…

    • 1573 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Through the birth of Pandora, Zeus preempts women’s role in childbirth considering that a male god can perform the act of childbirth. Conversely, with all the negative attitude towards women in the passage, Hesiod does target the gender issue that is present in society. Hesiod could have chosen to show the issues of society by portraying women in this particular negative viewpoint to express this…

    • 1001 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    King Laius dies and does not get buried so now, Thebes is starting to go down…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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).…

    • 1742 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The characters understand that their lives depend on the mercy of the gods. In the Odyssey the gods played a vital role to the plot of the story. Throughout Odysseus’s amazing travels, it’s the hope of seeing Penelope and his son Telemachus that often brings him the courage and strength to succeed. Without the help of Athena, and her wisdom and devotion to Odysseus, his challenges would be far more extreme. Although some gods were against Odysseus, many were in favor of him and his return home.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Therefore, when he is faced with fighting the suitors, he knows that the gods will be there to protect him. At this point, his newfound trust in the gods results in him diminishing his hubris and following the guidance from the gods. With all that has happened with Odysseus realizing his true place in society, he begs the gods to take mercy on him for his past mistakes; “O hear me, lord of stream; how sorely I depend upon your mercy! Derelict as I am as the sea’s anger. Is he not sacred, even to the God’s, the wandering man who comes, as I have come, in weariness before your knees, your waters?…

    • 1259 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the beginning books of the story, the reader is shown the extent of the gods’ influence in decision-making of the Greeks. For example, in the first book, Chryses, the priest of the god Apollo, prays to Apollo to release his abducted daughter, Briseis, from the…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Oedipus, who tries to find a reason why Thebes suffers from a plaque, after dialog…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Cameron Haberberger 10/20/2017 Humanities: Human and Divine Paper Walter Soffer After thoroughly reading Antigone by Sophocles and The Peloponnesian War told by Thucydides, it is clear both have much to consider when it come to the relation between the human and the divine. Although they both contain examples, Antigone holds a better explanation of the relationship in question. In the book, Antigone wants to bury her brother although she knew Creon ordered not to.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The female figure that he leans on is standing on a block that is almost at his mid-calf, yet she still only reaches his chest, just tall enough for him to rest his arm on her head. If the block she stands on was to be removed and she was to stand at the same ground level as Dionysus, she would literally be half of his height. This inhumanly height of his, hierarchy of scale is the first definitive marker of a deity. Dionysus rests his arm on top of the female figure’s head (which further emphasizes his bigness), his hand gesturing outwards, which seems to be a welcoming gesture or a gesture to address a crowd. His left hand unfortunately did not survive, but one of the most distinctive characteristics of Dionysus is the Thyrsos, a…

    • 1449 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays