med. 6

I thought Dionysus was a bit of a bastard in this play. I think that though he came to Thebes for a good reason, this play shows in its fullness the Gods’ abuse of their power. I feel that as a God, Dionysus should exercise some self control, instead of humiliating, and then murdering Pentheus. I thought it was a little harsh to do that just because people called your mom a whore, and to top it all off, he turns Pentheus’s grandpa into a snake. I am not sure if Euripedes wanted the reader to feel sorry for Dionysus and not like Pentheus, but it had the opposite effect on me. I ended the play feeling that Pentheus, as arrogant as he was, was a victim in unfortunate circumstances (though none so unfortunate as when he was in the tree). I think that Dionysus, while having the right to be angry, was petulant and childish.