Characters
This character enters Thebes disguised as a mortal "Stranger" to prove his divinity.
Who is Dionysus?
The city where the play takes place.
What is Thebes?
The person who wrote The Bacchae.
Who is Euripides?
Dionysus is the god of wine and this type of celebration.
What is partying (or celebration)?
In Greek theater, this group of performers speaks in unison and represents the perspective of the Theban elders or Asian followers.
What is the Greek Chorus?
The king of Thebes who refuses to believe Dionysus is a god.
Who is Pentheus?
The group of women who follow Dionysus and perform wild rituals.
Who are the Bacchae?
The group that sings and comments on the action in Greek plays.
What is the Chorus?
This staff, topped with a pine cone and wrapped in ivy, is the primary symbol of Dionysian power.
What is Thyrsus?
Because violence was forbidden on the Greek stage, this character usually enters to describe the death of Pentheus.
Who is the Messenger?
Pentheus’ mother who kills him by mistake.
Who is Agave?
Dionysus convinces Pentheus to dress in this specific disguise to spy on the Bacchae.
What is women clothing?
Pentheus shows too much pride and refuses to listen to warnings. This flaw is called this.
What is Hubris?
In the play's climax, the mask of Pentheus is replaced by a gruesome prop to represent this specific "part" of him carried by his mother, Agave.
What is a severed head?
This "crane" device would have been used to lift Dionysus above the stage at the end of the play.
What is Mechane (or Deus ex Machina)?
The blind prophet who warns Pentheus to respect Dionysus.
Who is Tiresias?
The mountain where the Bacchae go to worship Dionysus.
What is Mount Cithaeron?
Actors in Greek theatre wore these to show different characters.
What are masks?
In a famous scene of psychological manipulation, Dionysus makes Pentheus see "double" of this animal.
What is a bull?
Dionysus causes this natural disaster to destroy Pentheus’s palace mid-way through the play.
What is an earthquake?
The grandfather of Pentheus and founder of Thebes.
Who is Cadmus?
What happens to Pentheus at the end of the play.
What is Sparagmos? (being torn apart by the Bacchae)
The strong emotions the audience feels after watching a tragedy.
What is catharsis?
The main lesson of the play: humans must respect this power.
What is the power of the gods?
This circular "dancing space" is where the Chorus would have performed their odes.
What is the Orchestra?