The Bacchae

Fiction | Play | Adult | Published in 405

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Lines 1-430

Lines 431-809

Lines 810-1164

Lines 1165-1390

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Lines 810-1164Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Lines 810-1164 Summary

Dionysius pauses, then switches tactics. He asks Pentheus if he would like to see the Bacchants, and Pentheus enthusiastically assents. Though Pentheus resists the idea, Dionysus convinces him to disguise himself, noting that observing the women undisguised would be dangerous. Dionysus offers to prepare Pentheus’ costume and guide him secretly to Cithaeron. As they enter the palace, Dionysus tells the Chorus that the trap has been set to lure Pentheus into humiliation and death. He will learn that Dionysus is Zeus’s son by being “slaughtered at his mother’s hands” (150). Asking “What is wisdom,” the Chorus sings about the value of adhering to tradition and the limits of human endeavors (151, italics in original).

Dionysus emerges from the palace with Pentheus, who is now dressed as a Bacchant. Pentheus claims to see two suns and two Thebeses, which Dionysus attributes to the god being with them so that Pentheus could “see what you should see” (152). Anxious to look authentic, Pentheus fusses his over dress, which Dionysus sets right. He is pleased that Pentheus has “undergone a change of mind” and is now of “sound mind” (152-3). He promises to bring Pentheus safely to the Bacchants, but that his mother will return him to Thebes (153). Assuring Pentheus that he will achieve renown through his suffering, the two depart. The Chorus sings an ode anticipating Pentheus’ punishment and death. A messenger arrives to announce that Pentheus is dead and scolds the Chorus when they sing in celebration.

The Chorus questions how Pentheus died, and the Messenger reveals that Dionysus miraculously pulled the tall branch of a pine tree down so that Pentheus could ascend to the top of it and spy on the Bacchants, who were peacefully singing and repairing a worn-out wand. After setting Pentheus at the top of the tree, Dionysus called to his Bacchants to punish “the man who makes a mockery of you and me and my rites” (156). They hurled stones and branches at Pentheus, finally pulling down the tree and attacking him with their hands. Pentheus ripped off his headband and entreated his mother not to hurt him, but she did not recognize him. The women tore Pentheus apart limb from him; Agaue took his head. The messenger concludes by asserting that the “virtuous” course and “greatest wisdom” is to “show the gods reverence,” then departs (158). The Chorus sings in celebration, noting that “song of triumph” ends in “lamentation and tears” (158).

Lines 810-1164 Analysis

Dionysus no longer attempts to test or debate Pentheus but turns his attention towards punishing him. He does this in his characteristically calm way, his gentle demeanor contrasting with the brutality of his final punishment. He executes his plot using reasoning, arguing that if Pentheus were to go to the maenads as himself, they might attack him as they attacked the herdsmen’s flocks. It only makes sense for Pentheus to disguise himself as a Bacchant. In this way, Dionysus convinces Pentheus to cross a boundary that he does not want to cross by dressing in a way that defies gender norms. Historically, appearing feminine made a man vulnerable to mockery and humiliation.

By the time Pentheus emerges from the palace in his disguise, he has become enthralled by his costume, fussing with the dress and hairband. Whether this is a consequence of Dionysus’ powers (Pentheus is now seeing double) or his own innate attraction to transgression is not clear. Regardless, the lure to transgress is associated with Bacchic ritual. It is simultaneously dangerous and enticing. Under Dionysus’ spell, Pentheus allows the god to lead him through and out of the city, crossing into the mountains beyond.

Violence is very rarely shown on stage in Athenian tragedies. Part of this has to do with how the ancients viewed death, though another part was a procedural limitation. The number of actors each playwright was allotted in a festival limited how many people could be on stage at the same time. Actors may be called on to perform more than one role, hence the use of messengers to deliver news about events that took place offstage (in this case, Pentheus’ gruesome death).

The messenger reports that Pentheus had returned to his senses at the time of his death and was able to understand exactly what was happening to him; he begged his mother for mercy. However, Agaue remained possessed by Dionysus’ madness and saw not her son but a wild beast for her to rip apart and claim as a trophy. A part of her humanity was taken from her, which is her capacity for memory and connection to her child. In the cases of both son and mother (at the end of the play), Dionysus brings release from social norms and conventions, but the return to them brings pain and grief.