Assignment: Euripides, "Bacchae," in Coursepack, pp.
274-294.
Dionysus: The Myth, The Rituals,
The Religion.
- The
House of Cadmus.
- Link
to Prof. Kirk Summer's (Univ of Alabama) slide show on
Dionysus.
- Mystery Religions.
Examples: Ceres, Bacchus, Isis and
Serapis, Cybele and Attis, Mithra.
- A. General
- Focus: Fertility,
sexuality, immortality.
- Rites of Initiation: the
Mystery (e.g. phallus), epopteia.
- Union with the god: ecstasy
through intoxication, sex, violence.
- Organization of cults
(temples, ritual, processions).
- Syncretism.
B. Dionysus
(Bacchus)
- General
characteristics.
- Thiasos (group of
worshippers), maenads (female worshippers),
oreibasia (mountain dancing), thyrsus (staff
wrapped with ivy), sparagmos (tearing animal to
bits), omophagis charis (pleasure of eating raw
flesh).
- Festival in Athens, Greek
tragedy.
Euripides Bacchae:
Characters, Places, Terms
- Dionysus, aka Bacchus, Iacchus, Evius, Bromius, Sone of
Semele, Son of Zeus, Wine.
- Chorus
- Tiresias
- Pentheus
- Soldier
- Herdsman
- Agave
- Messenger
- Guards
- Thebes
- Oppositions: male/female; city/nature;
civilized/barbarian; human/animal; mortal/immortal;
chaste/unchaste; reason/emotion; law&order/freedom;
native/foreign; believers/unbelievers.
Illustrations to Euripides
Bacchae
Links to a variety of external
sites.