Continue reading Bacchae as far as we can get in class.
Journal 36 ~ Questions for Bacchae pages 20-29
- Annotate as you read: Mark lines that continue the conversation of what it means to be wise as well as places that show how Dionysus has turned things backwards or upside down.
- Is catharsis achieved by this play? Who do you pity most?
- How does Euripides characterize Pentheus? What is his "fatal flaw"? Why does he want to spy on the Maenads? What is the significance of Dionysus dressing him up as a woman?
- What sort of god is Dionysus? How is he depicted? What are his attributes? How does he look? Why is it appropriate that he is the god of theater (i.e. are there any connections between wine, madness, ecstasy, sex, dismemberment and theater)?
- Consider that Bacchus was the god of theater. Literally, his alter is in the middle of the stage. How does this play speak to that concept and what Dionysus/Bacchus means to the Greek/Roman society?
HW: Nah. We'll finish in class tomorrow.
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