Deeper Philosophical Meanings :: essays research papers

One of ancient Greece’s tragic plays in entitled “The Bacchae';, written by Euripides. Many larger and deeper philosophical views are expressed in the play. The plot contains many speeches, and one might think at certain points that they would be the moral. The actual moral, however, is almost impossible to define. Euripides uses a style of writing that is heavy with surreal details that are not present in other Greek tragedies. On page 21, lines 506-7, the comment “How do you live? What are you doing? Who are you? You don’t know!'; helps the reader to comprehend what the play is all about when looked at from a critical point of view.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dionysus, throughout the play speaks in a term that is almost cynical. His tone is mocking and at times sarcastic. Many times in the play, he refers to himself in the third person to heighten the sense of his power that the characters receive in the play, as well as make himself out to be a messenger of Dionysus, not the god himself. He encourages all to let out their true nature. As a god in ancient Greece, he stood for wine and drunkenness, ecstasy, sexual being, dance, and madness. It is hinted many times throughout the reading that Dionysus has a revenge motive. It is as if he wants to punish the population of Thebes for not taking his true power seriously. When he appeared on Earth, he could have made himself look like an all powerful god, but instead took on the form of a deviant youth and a weakling. He is irrational and one can pick up a sense of his wrath toward the people. Knowing all this, when Dionysus said, “How do live? What are you doing? Who are you? You don’t know!'; it is easier to define the meaning behind the statement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dionysus knew all along what his plan was against the people of Thebes. He also knew exactly how everything was going to turn out. It was his plan all along to punish the people for not treating him like the truly powerful god he was. He used Pentheus and a kind of sacrifice, and the women he drove to the mountains as his pawns. He used to women because he knew that the true power in the city lay in the women of the houses, not the men.