Greek Theatre Exam: The Bacchae Quotes

"I have put aside my divine form in the body of a man"

Dionysus disguise at the beginning

"I must vindicate my mother semele"

Dionysus motivation for all of his later actions - shows

"Pentheus, who now fights with gods - with me!"

First sign of Pentheus' impiety (prologue)

"We must honour him as much as we are able"

Cadmus promoting piety at the beginning of the play

"No logic will overthrow tradition"

Tiresias explaining how he remains religious - the example of piety

"Fake Bacchic revels", "women creep off to hide in secret places and serve the lusts of men", "I will catch them in iron nets", "I will put a stop to him... by cutting his head from his body!"

Introduction to Pentheus - blasphemous, very conservative, assumption that women go mad when not supervised by men, dismissive, impious

"You know the fate of Acteon, torn apart by flesh-eating dogs, for boasting he was better than Artemis at hunting"

Story of Acteon - forshadowing Pentheus demise - emphasising the danger of impiety - Pentheus = stupid for ignoring the warning signes at this point

"Throw everything into utter confusion", "hurl his sacred fillets to the winds!"

Dionysus threatening to trash Tiresias's home - especially cruel to trash the house of a blind man - makes him much less sympathetic - destruction of a place of worship highlights his impious and uncaring nature from the beginning

"We have captured the prey"

The soldier sees Dionysus as an animal to be caught - hunting imagery = rampant in the play - continues the theme of the divine being equated to animals which runs throughout Euripides

"Your hair is long... curling down your cheeks; very seductive!", "you are not bad looking", "your skin is fair"

Pentheus is enthralled by Dionysus - trying to insult him but it is only really complimentary

"What was he like?", "what form do they take?", "what good do they do?", "that is a clever trick to make me want to hear!"

Pentheus insatiable curiosity throughout the agon - stichomythic exchange - P = obsessed with the Bacchants even though he does not believe

"What terrible things will you do to me?"

Dionysus mocking Pentheus - sarcastic - shows the extent of Pentheus ignorance

“He is here now”, “he is not visible to my eyes”, “where I am, but you do not have reverance so you do not see him”, “seize him!”

Exchange between Dionysus and Pentheus - very ironic - obvious that Pentheus has no idea that he is speaking to a god - forshadowing - D = playing with his prey before he eats it - callous and cold - Dionysus is in control the whole time even when P thinks he is which higlights his role as both actor and director

"Dionysus will exact recompense for these outrages"

D giving as many clues to P as possible - he has a chance to change his fate but repeatedly refuses to take it - completely blind - makes him less sympathetic

"Pentheus born of the earth", "a savage, unnatural creature", "a giant so bloody he threatens the gods"

Making Pentheus into the hated and feared one - influencing how the audience was meant to feel - equating him to the Titans who tried to overthrow the gods of Olympus

"Burn, burn the house of Pentheus!", "he has turned it upside down!"

Dionysus destroying the prison and palace with an earthquake - compare to Pentheus previous threat of destroying house of Cadmus

"Panting his rage", "sitting peacefully and watching"

Contrast between Pentheus and Dionysus mental state

"I fear your temper which is excessively kinglike"

The first messenger points out Pentheus' hubris

"A marvel of decency and grace to behold", "water... wine... milk... honey"

Behaviour of the Maenads as reported by the first messenger

"My running hounds, we are being hunted", "all the wild animals joined in on the dance", "like birds rising in flight, the women moved over the plains", "women overcoming men! Some god must have been there"

The line between animal and human, hunter and hunted, male and female are blurred - hounds are meant to be the attackers, not the prey

"They turned everything upside down"

The maenads ransacking the villages arounf mt Cithaeron - reflects the imagery used of Tiresias home being destroyed and the fall of Pentheus's house - the play is fundamentally normal life being turned on its head because of Dionysus

"I will sacrifice a great slaughter of women"

Pentheus has gone too far - willing to initiate human sacrifice (a huge taboo among the Greeks) - willing to kill his mum

"By taking orders from my slaves?"

Pentheus is completely unwilling to take advice or even discuss the issue - would have decreased his sympathy in the eyes of the democratic Athenians - he sees his subjects as slaves - not a good leader

"Shall I change from man to woman?"

Pentheus questioning what he must do in order to see the Bacchants for himself - not only would he change his clothes but his entire being - liminality of Dionysus - he has become everything that he previously hated in the space of 20 line - D = all-powerful

"I will dress you myself"

Dionysus = completely in control now - mesmerising, charming, manipularing Pentheus

"The man is moving into the net"

More hunting imagery - Dionysus is completely in control still, pulling all the strings

"He will be punished by death", "i want him to be laughed at"

Dionysus seems more and more cruel - he does not only want to kill Pentheus but shame and ridicule him in the process"

"Divine power is certain, it corrects mortals who worship arrogance"

Third choral ode - themes suggest that this signals the Peripeteia is coming - the bacchans hint at what becomes of those who practice impiety

"My job is to look after you so I shall put it back in place"

Dionysus is physically dressing Pentheus and making tweaks to his constume - is completely the director now, in total control - ironic

"You arrange it. I am in your hands now"

Pentheus has completely relinquished himelf to Dionysus control - the second part of the quote suggests that Pentheus is in fact dedicated to Dionysus as a sacrifice - fitting punishment?

"I see two suns... double... you look like a bull"

Pentheus has completely lost his mind - tripping - out of it - Dionysus = neither god nor human nor animal but all 3

"I cry out in ecstacy... no longer I cower in fear of chains!"

Chorus reaction to Pentheus death - celebrating - meant to reflect how the audience should feel? - their persecuter has died - sinister

"Poor Pentheus"... "poor Agave"

The messenger who delivers news of Pentheus death is very sympathetic which changes the tone considerably - much later on, when she is about to rip apart her son, the messenger spares compassion also for Agave

"And instead of seeing the Maenads, he was seen by them", "now take vengence on him!"

Is this the peripeteia and anagnoresis? Pentheus is finally, irrevocably doomed - no more second chances - Dionysus reveals himself and commands his maenads

"Capture the climbing beast"

Agave = clearly in charge - she has become the predator and Pentheus the prey - confusion between human and animal

"Priestess", "take pity on me mother and do not kill me for my mistakes"

Could this be the moment of anagnoresis? Very dark - Pentheus finally knows the truth of it all and realises that he has made many mistakes - supplicating?

"Possessed by the god", "rejoicing in her disasterous prey"

Very much blurring the lines between predator and prey - who is in control? It is not clear - lots of sympathy for Agave who's mind has been so clearly manipulated

"Tearing his flesh", "screaming so long as he had breath"

So much sympathy for Pentheus during his death scene - very graphic and gory

"This young cub of a wild lion"

Agave with Pentheus head - although she sees him as an animal, she still emphasises his youth - sympathy, she does not realise that it is in fact her own cub still - this would make her the king of the jungle - top predator, once again mixing roles

"Let us dance to the Bacchic god!"... "poor woman!" (x2)

The chorus initally rejoice in the death of Pentheus but then it seems that even they begin to feel sympathy for Agave - Dionysus = more and more alienated

"Where is my son Pentheus?"

Very ironic as she is literally holding him in her hands - very, very dark - could it possibly have been slightly humerous? - lots and lots of sympathy for Agave

"Lord Bromios has destroyed us with justuce, but excessively hard"

Cadmus summarising how cruel Dionysus has been at the end - Pentheus has been punished for his harmatia but too much

"What is this i am carrying in my hands?", "I am holding the head of Pentheus"

Agave anagnoresis - second one? Euripides is playing with the conventins of tragedy

"You were the terror of the city", "counted among those I love most", "I grieve for your fate"

Cadmus grieving for Pentheus - even the chorus find this sympathetic, however he seems to feel pride over all of Pentheus' worst deeds - excusing his reign of terror - reduces the sympathy

"I speak as Dionysus son of Zeus!"

Dionysus has finally revealed his true nature right at the end of the play - no longer mortal but a god through and through

"Nothing to remind me of a Thyrsus"

Agave wishes to never see the symbol of Dionysus ever again - his punishment has achieved nothing but misery as she is still not inclined to worship him - all in vain - would have been much better if he had come to them in peace and inspired worship rather than fear