Ignorance is bliss
Going back to my words on Oedipus Rex, the concept of blissful ignorance once again rears it's head in the Bacchae. I found it amusing how Dionysus was among the people the entire time, yet none of them realized who he was. Of course, if his identity had been known, the play would not have actually happened, and he would not have been able to play his games. I found him putting Pentheus into a dress to be particularly humorous, and that scene is a wonderful example of something that could not have happened had Dionysus been revealed as Dionysus beforehand. As for knowing thyself...the only person who seemed terribly sure of their identity and what they wanted was Dionysus. The women were Bacchic, and therefore not exactly in their right minds, if you want to get technical about it. Pentheus's mind was clouded by rage towards Dionysus. The joke was on him, because Dionysus was the one who got his way. (Just one thing I want to point out here - does it not spark feelings of unease when a stranger tells you to dress up as a woman and go towards certain death??? These Greeks were ignorant on quite a few things, in my opinion.)
posted by Libby @ 11:02 AM
2 Comments:
I agree that Dionysus was the only one that truely knew his identity even though he was in disquise basically the entire play. I also feel that it was amusing how none of the town people realized that theyh were among a God the entire play. I can also see where it seems that the Greeks were ignornat, but i think that was just the ways the plays were written during that time period.I like your comment.
Ignorant? Ignorance implies that the Greeks did not KNOW that what they were doing was not plausible. And from everything I know about the Greeks, the last thing they are is ignorant. If anything, they knew exactly what the were doing. If they thought an element of the play did not make logical sense, it was because it was not SUPPOSED to.
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