CLASSIC 45C Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Lightning, Voyeurism, Long Hair
2 Jun 2017
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Thyrsus: a stalk of fennel tipped with ivy leaves. Is a revenge story- dionysus vs. house of cadmus. A synthesis of all the plays that came before it. Dionysus shows up deus ex machina to announce who he is, where he comes, and why he is in thebes. Emphasis on effeminacy, strangeness, and mocking attitude. Sharp division btwn male and female (important later on) Dionysus comes to thebes bc that"s where his mother comes from to punish the thebans. Bacchae means female followers of bacchus(latin for. This play is of the punishment of theban men. The current ruler of thebes- a new king. Dionysus is trying to take over the city & pentheus tries to protect it. The meaning of his name is clear at the end (like oedipus) God of wine, theater (lots of metatheatre) Could see oneself behaving in ways you don"t understand (when drunk) Directs pentheus to mountain to kill him.
