Bakkhai

by Euripides

Paperback

Published February 1, 2001

About the author

Euripides (Greek: Ευριπίδης) (ca. 480 BC–406 BC) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him, but the Suda says it was ninety-two at most. Of these, eighteen or nineteen have survived more or less complete (Rhesus is suspect). There are many fragments (some substantial) of most of his other plays. More of his plays have survived intact than those of Aeschylus and Sophocles together, partly because his popularity grew as theirs declined—he became, in the Hellenistic Age, a cornerstone of ancient literary education, along with Homer, Demosthenes, and Menander.
Euripides is identified with theatrical innovations that have profoundly influenced drama down to modern times, especially in the representation of traditional, mythical heroes as ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. This new approach led him to pioneer developments that later writers adapted to comedy, some of which are characteristic of romance. He also became "the most tragic of poets", focusing on the inner lives and motives of his characters in a way previously unknown. He was "the creator of ... that cage which is the theatre of William Shakespeare's Othello, Jean Racine's Phèdre, of Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg," in which "imprisoned men and women destroy each other by the intensity of their loves and hates". But he was also the literary ancestor of comic dramatists as diverse as Menander and George Bernard Shaw.
His contemporaries associated him with Socrates as a leader of a decadent intellectualism. Both were frequently lampooned by comic poets such as Aristophanes. Socrates was eventually put on trial and executed as a corrupting influence. Ancient biographies hold that Euripides chose a voluntary exile in old age, dying in Macedonia, but recent scholarship casts doubt on these sources.

Reviews

[Sierra Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Greek tragedy and it was brilliant. The text raised questions of gender roles, rationality in civilization versus relaxed ecstasy, and loyalty to divinity surpassing madness. Nietzsche’s philosophy on Dionysos was my only taste for the Greek god, serving as a warning to his madness and complete intoxication. Yet I found myself as the reader falling for the manipulation the other characters were entangled in. For a tragedy, it was also quite humorous. Cross dressing king was peak. Super accessible read and a classic for a reason.

[Sisilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Long ago my father Zeus ordained all this.” Dionysus

This was my first Greek tragedy and i’m genuinely so glad i read it. The Bacchae completely took me by surprise it was intense, disturbing and dark. I read the Gibbons translation which helped a lot
though as a first-time reader i was still constantly googling to keep up.

The maenads were violent and brutal
and Dionysus was a fascinating, paradoxical figure i definitely need to read more about him. I knew Pentheus was gonna die , as Tiresias foreshadows at the beginning, warning him not to offend the god or he would suffer the same fate as Actaeon. Still, his death was cruel and heartbreaking especially his final plea for mercy to his mother.

Even Kadmus who acknowledged Dionysus as a god, was punished. He himself remarks that it feels cruel but Dionysus reminds him that “long ago my father Zeus ordained all this.” It shows that divine power goes beyond moral logic or mercy. The ending feels deeply unfair on a human level but that’s the point the play forces you to confront the terrifying nature of a god and how small and vulnerable humans are in the face of such overwhelming power.

[Haj · Rating 4 out of 5]

such an easy to read play!! the whole thing is about dionysus getting pissed that his mothers family won’t acknowledge him and deciding to exact the most insane revenge ever. the part where aguaë rocks up carrying what she thinks is a lions head until kadmos makes her actually look at it is insane and i will be thinking about it for the foreseeable future.

[Estela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always my most beloved play! While the Gibbons translation is not the most poetic translation I've read, it was accessible, and the introduction and notes were delightful! Might be good for a first time read, for those who'd like to learn about context and themes

[Emma D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quick read, read it in only 3 hours in preparation for a class. I was not expecting that plot to happen as I went in practically blind. I know there are probably many lessons people can learn from this story, and I am excited to decipher it in class!

[⋆ ₊ antonia ☽ * ₊ ⋆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

she's a classic

[ashlyn (gansey’s version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

i can’t believe the greek tragedy ended with everyone dying

[Thomas Funke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A god gets mad. People die.