Homer (Simpson, not the epic poet) once said that alcohol is the “cause of... and solution to... all of life's problems.” I think of that quote when I think of the god Dionysus (also known as Bacchus). Dionysus is the god of joy and celebration, but also madness and violence. The god of inspiration and intoxication. He’s the god the indwells through wine, which can both bring happiness and cause drunkenness.
The women who follow Dionysus are called Maenads or Bacchants. They worship outside of the city (Thebes in this tragedy play) and partake in rituals that are at first described as orderly. In fact, Tiresias, the blind seer, says that “Even in a Bacchic revel, a woman who is really virtuous will not be corrupted.”
We see quite quickly that the rituals are far from orderly. The revels quickly descend into chaos, with the Maenads attacking a nearby town, stealing children, and ripping animals apart.
Pentheus, the king of Thebes tries to stop this madness by battling Dionysus himself, who has taken on human form. Dionysus’ goal is to show that he is indeed a god. He convinces the king to explore his curiosity and witness one of the dances by the women. This is forbidden and so Pentheus must don women’s clothing. Perched upon a tree, the women see him, get him down, and promptly rip him to shreds. His mother leads the charge, unaware that she is killing her own son.
The recognition scene of all recognition scenes has Pentheus’ mother slowly realize she is not carrying the head of a lion but rather the head of her son. Dionysus has not only destroyed an enemy in Pentheus but has destroyed a devoted worshipper, Pentheus’ mother. Dionysus leaves destruction in his wake, but all those involved do end up realizing he is a god.
There’s a lot going on in this play. I had to read it twice to understand it. The lines of the chorus were beautiful. The verbal battles between Pentheus and Dionysus were fascinating. The tragedy at the end, brutal.