Meditation 6

In the play The Bacchae, I feel that the concepts of “ignorance is bliss” and “know thyself” are very relevant. Ignorance is a concept that could almost be considered a theme throughout the work. All through the play the characters never realize that they are doing everything with the God Dionysus. If the people had realized this, then none of the events in the play would have ever happened. Their actions would have been completely different. If they knew that they were among a God I highly doubt Pentheus would be dressing like a fool the way he did. I also do not believe that Agaue would kill her son. The concept of “ignorance is bliss” worked in Dionysus’ case, because the fact that these people had no clue helped him fulfill his revenge.
I also felt that “knowing thyself” was important in this play. Dionysus’ self knowledge of his plan helped him succeed. I also think that the other character’s lack of knowledge hurts them. If these characters knew what was going on none of the events in the story would have happened. It would also have been more obvious to them that they were being tricked by a God if they would have looked at events that happened in the past. These concepts seem to play a very important role in my mind to the development and the finish of the play.