Greek Tragedy XXXIII: Euripides’s Bacchae, or, Dude, Dionysos Gets Dark

Posted byTriumvir ClioPosted inGreek Tragedy, The Greeks

Whatever you do, don’t question Dionysos’s divinity!

Discussion Prompts
  1. Traditionally, maenads are women. How would you cast the chorus of maenads if you were directing today?
  2. Some of the humor in this play originally derived from Pentheus being dressed up as a woman. How would you handle that scene if you were directing this play today?
  3. Plus the usual directing questions: Dream cast? Setting? Vision?
  4. What does this play have to say about new religions?
  5. What does this play have to say about civilization? What does it mean to be “civilized”?
  6. AP Credit: Compare/contrast the rise of cult of Dionysos with the rise of Christianity.
  7. Dionysos is the god of wine and the god of theatre. Why is this a logical combination?

Published by Triumvir Clio

I have a BA in History and Classical Civilization from Loyola University Chicago and an MPH from Western Michigan University. I've been a geometry teacher, a religion teacher, a writing tutor. I'm a writer, a knitter, a dancer, a singer, an actor. And, yes, for fun I like to reread everything that was assigned while getting my classics degree.

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