The Bacchae is considered to be not only one of Euripides's greatest tragedies, but one of the greatest ever written, modern or ancient.
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11 Facts About The Bacchae
2.
The Bacchae is distinctive in that the chorus is integrated into the plot and the god is not a distant presence, but a character in the play, indeed, the protagonist.
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3.
The Bacchae has been the subject of widely varying interpretations regarding what the play as a whole means, or even indeed whether there is a “moral” to the story.
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4.
The Bacchae's mortal mother, Semele, was a mistress of Zeus; while pregnant she was killed by Hera, who was jealous of her husband's affair.
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5.
The Bacchae traveled throughout Asia and other foreign lands, gathering a cult of female worshipers, the Maenads.
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6.
The Bacchae has driven the women of Thebes, including his aunts, into an ecstatic frenzy, sending them dancing and hunting on Mount Cithaeron, much to the horror of the young Pentheus, king of Thebes who is Dionysius' cousin.
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7.
The Bacchae has disguised himself as a mortal for the time being, but he plans to vindicate his mother by appearing before all of Thebes as a god, the son of Zeus, and establishing his permanent cult of followers.
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8.
The Bacchae calls for Cadmus, the founder and former king of Thebes.
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9.
The Bacchae says it would be better first to spy on them, while disguised as a female Maenad to avoid detection.
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10.
The Bacchae has begun to see through Dionysus' mortal disguise, perceiving horns coming out of the god's head.
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11.
The Bacchae had an enormous impact on ancient literature, and its influence can be seen in numerous Greek and Roman authors.
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