The Bacchae - Greek Theatre

Euripides - 406BC

Chorus - Female followers of Dionysus 

• Don’t reflect the audience - barrier between the audience and actors 
• Interesting + dynamic 
  • Sources for inspiration - pots 
  • Masks - shows their togetherness + separates them from the actors in the play 
  • Pronomos vase - actors offstage - designed for export
  • The tragic mask in this period was quite plain 
  • The costumes show great decoration and intricate design, with patterns and figures of people and animals 
  • Lydian women - vibrant + alive - effect of oriental styles on theatre costume 
• Eastern influence - opulence
• 13-15 male actors - creates space for movement 

The death of Pentheus

• in existence before Euripides wrote the Bacchae 
• Omophagia + cannibalism already a part of the play 

Difference between the sacred rituals of the god + the women possessed as punishment 

Euripides - trying to make the Athenian audience less insula

Protagonist - Pentheus - in direct conflict with the audience 

• Exult in his death 

Does Pentheus deserve his punishment?

• Yes - but there is excessiveness 
  • The level of cruelty + abuse of the body to the king by his own mother 
  • In excess - is Euripides challenging the gods?
• Audience response to the punishment of the gods
• About teaching to submit to the gods

Pentheus resists the religion - foreign alien instruments - indicates orientalism 

• Phrygian drum + Aulos - originate in Lydia 
• Influx from the outside to a greek ordered world 

Pentheus - uses brute power against the god Dionysus + the Lydian women - imposing force

Pentheus is absent when the play begins - the women are maddened + outside male control 

• Enters through the side door - has been absent - represents his loss of power
• Dionysus - enters through the double doors

Tragic chorus - opening ode - tell the backstory - establishes the myth of the birth of Dionysus - born of Zeus’ body - jealousy of Hera 

• creates interesting relationship between Dionysus and Zeus 

Pentheus refuses to institute the cult of Dionysus 

• Directs most of his fury…