Pentheus

meaning of what is said to them. Pentheus is an eisegetic reader which means he interprets a text by forcing his own ideas upon it. Pyrrha is a literal reader which means she can only see one meaning and can not recognize symbols or metaphors. Acoetes is an exegetic reader which means he can interpret the text perfectly. It is important to be an exegetic reader because you always have to keep reading for the deeper part of a story to figure out the true meaning. Pentheus’ single minded…

exacting revenge or wrath through mind-controlling madness. This type of behavior is most evident in how Dionysus systematically destroys Cadmus’ (Pentheus’ grandfather) lineage in order to prove his divinity and get retribution for his mother, Semele, who was mocked, ostracized, and smote for her affair with Zeus. In closer analysis, though, the demise of Pentheus and his relatives at the hands of Dionysus is a warning of the immense power of nature and the consequences of man when he tries to…

religious fervor involving the characters Pentheus and Agave. Even though these characters share the same blood, they share completely different beliefs. Pentheus plays the role of religious skeptic when he doesn’t support the worship of Dionysus. Pentheus shows himself as this when he states, “Do your raving elsewhere! Don’t smear your silliness on me. I’ll find that man, the one who taught you this stupidity and punish him” (Euripides 754). Agave, Pentheus’ mother, demonstrates someone who is…

Maenads, to avenge his mother, Semele, against her family, who accused her of lying about Zeus impregnating her. He enchants the women, including the king Pentheus' mother, Agave, into joining the Maenads. Appalled, Pentheus prohibits all Dionysian rites and persecutes the Maenads. Pentheus captures Dionysus, but he escapes and tricks Pentheus into “spying” on the Maenads, luring him to a gruesome death as the Maenads, led by Agave, dismember him with their bare hands. Agave returns to Thebes…

struggle for power. With the intent of establishing democracy, Dionysus overthrows Pentheus through the devotion of the Theban women. In a similar fashion, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses,…

Among these family members is Pentheus, the king of Thebes, who has forbidden the worship of Dionysus in Thebes. As anticipated, by the end of the play, Dionysus fully pays his family back for their betrayal, but also simultaneously causes both characters in the play and some readers, myself included, to question the cruelty of his actions.…

Dionysus mad Semele's sisters go into madness and kill Pentheus, the son of Agave (Bacchae 1100-1129). Pentheus did not believe in the power of Dionysus either. Pentheus thought that Dionysus was a fake god that a seer had manifested to bring disorder to Thebes and seeks out the priest who is responsible (Bacchae 349-350). In my opinion, this was all part of Dionysus' plan to lure Pentheus into his trap. Dionysus, later on, tempts Pentheus to go see the women worshipping Dionysus (Bacchae…

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…

The House of the Vettii offers the world a view into an intriguing period of life in ancient Pompeii. By analyzing themes such as punishment and divine dominion over mortals, within six Greek mythology based panel paintings in the House of the Vettii’s better insights into relations between the sexes is gained. Even in the male dominated society of the first century BC punishment is more about power than gender because it was imposed by both male and female. Pompeii is a small to medium-sized…

others is a topic that has become more relavent today, yet it also played a part in this play. Dionysus is described as an “effeminate man” (Woodruff 24) and having “…long hair… and a pretty face”, yet as Pentheus points out is “good-looking to women” (Bacchae 453-459). Later when Dionysus dresses Pentheus as a women in order to disguise him, the maenads still see him as a man. These two characters invoke notions of cross-dressing and transgender identity conflicts as both look female but are…