Interpretation of The Bacchae
The story Bacchae, by Euripides, is one of the extant play that narrates a story about the Greek strategy (Euripides, 2002). Over the years, the play has been the focus of an extreme interpretative argument, as interpreters of this story aim at giving the readers their perspective concerning the setting and meaning of the play. Therefore, as the play portrays a different kind of actions that were happening in Greek, Ian Johnston as one of the interpreters of this short story views The Bacchae as a cautionary tale. From this perspective, as a reader, I can agree with Johnston’s claim, as from the setting of the play and the role of each character the play is characterized by features such as religious actions, conflicts, and destructive in the form of human brutality.
From Johnston’s perspective, Dionysus as the main character in the play can be viewed as more than just a god and with the character taking the role of an individual who is powerful, the interpreter concludes and says that Dionysus makes the play be a cautionary tale (Euripides, 2002). Looking at the Johnston claim and his perspective concerning the play, it is evident that The Bacchae is a cautionary tale due to the role that Dionysus in the tale and his contribution.
The aspect of a ply being cautionary is brought out by Dionysus action when the people of Thebe fail to respect him and view him as the most influential individual in the countrywide. In this essence, the point can be supported by explaining that the translation is actually right because Dionysus actions demonstrate the irrationality of a man who is disobeying the gods. In the play, Dionysus is Zeus’s and Semele son, and the man is a god who to some extent is angry, because the people fails to recognize him as a god. With Dionysus failing to control his anger, he takes it on the women at the Thebe, whereby he turn Semele sisters and their mother by the name Agave into a furious priest who roams in the countrywide taking wine, killing animals through ripping them apart, and engaging in intercourse relations with the people they do not even know.
The aspect of the play being a cautionary tale is also brought by the similarities between Dionysus and Pentheus. According to Johnston, Pentheus refused to acknowledge Dionysus power, which leads a confrontation between the two men who are from the same family. In this case, the issue that makes the play be interpreted as a cautionary tale is due to the confrontation between the two men that come from the aspect of rejection. In other words, the failure of Pentheus to acknowledge Dionysus is a sign of rejecting a person who is a close family, and this signifies the act of discarding the divinity of the family members within the Thebe people. As the book reveals that Pentheus is a person who at some point is incapable of uniting the people in Thebe land, this another reason that makes Johnston label the play as a contrary play, in which the leader lacks the sense to reunite himself with the family members (Dionysus) and community.
From a personal perspective, I feel that the play stresses the uncivil and anti-civil actions that are needed and encouraged by Dionysus. Given the fact that Dionysus uses his power to turn women in the countrywide to individuals who are doing wild and strange thing, it is hard to believe that a reconciliation between Dionysus religion and his civil life is actually possible (Euripides, 2002). Thus, looking at this point, the play become more contradicting to the reader because it takes one to a point where one asks himself or herself questions such as why the interpreter fails to bring out more ideas on why the play is actually a cautionary tale. In fact, I think that play should be viewed as a play that is indictment religion because every action that is taking place in the community within where the story is set, is based on the ground that every brutal activity is related to the aspect of religion.
Reference
Euripides,(2002). The Bacchae. Retrieved from: http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/euripides/euripides.htm
