The Virulent Nature of Divine Vengeance
Euripides’ plays Hippolytus, The Bacchae and Iphigenia at Aulis all revolve around the journey of key characters that fail to show respect to various deities within the Greek Pantheon. This disrespect, in all three plays, is met out with retaliation from the gods themselves, thus effecting those that disrespected them as well as their families. To convey these tales Euripides implements many themes, one such theme being divine retaliation. Euripides’ use of the theme of divine retaliation provides a stark illustration of the Greek Pantheon striving to prove their superiority relentlessly and gives insight into their merciless use of mortals as pawns to achieve this.
Euripides’ use of divine retaliation
…show more content…
During her speech, Aphrodite states her plan which inevitably comes true. She tells: “this young man, this enemy of mines, shall be driven to his death by his father’s curses: something made possible by the three wishes granted Theseus by Poseidon, king of the sea…I must exact from those who do me wrong.” (Hippolytus 49-50). Aphrodite’s desire to punish those who disrespect her without any care for the lives she destroys in the process, illustrates her apparent abuse of power. Her elaborate scheming which uses Theseus and Phaedra without their will in her expedition to obliterate Theseus, is careless in nature and extremely ungodlike. What Aphrodite believes is justice is more so a medium through which she is able to exert her power as a god and satisfy her ego …show more content…
Dionysus knows that due to being a foreign god, the Greeks do not accept him and are ignorant of his rank. Instead of taking this information into consideration, Dionysus instead decides to prove his superiority by destroying Pentheus for disrespecting him. He seethes stating that the “city has to learn…making mortal man endorse the fact that [He is] a god.” (The Bacchae 397). This blatant challenge to humankind conveys Dionysus’ desire to forcefully correct those who are ignorant of his reputation as a god and force their respect through fear and violence. This is further proven when he succeeds in his plan, by driving Agave to conduct sparagmos on her own son, and becomes distraught at losing their son. Although Agave is Dionysus’ follower, he gives her no mercy as Pentheus is her son and she must be punished as well. As Cadmus begs for mercy, Dionysus refuses to listen to his pleas and insists upon punishment. He tells Cadmus [that he] shall be changed into a snake, and [his] wife, Ares’ daughter…shall take reptilian shape as well.”(The Bacchae 453). Dionysus’ wishes to prove his nobility by punishing those he is nonetheless related to and having no mercy. Dionysus knew of Pentheus’ lack of respect for him and instead of proving himself, chose to create a wicked and sadistic plan in which he could prove to Pentheus his authority. Dionysus is seen using those near
In this essay I will examine the war-of the-sexes taking place in The Eumenides, the final play of The Oresteia. The plot of The Eumenides pits Orestes and Apollo (representing the male gods and, to a certain extent, male values in general) against the ghost of Clytemnestra and the Furies (equally representative of female values.) Of more vital importance, however, is whether Athene sides with the males or females throughout the play.
Throughout Aristophanes’ “Clouds” there is a constant battle between old and new. It makes itself apparent in the Just and Unjust speech as well as between father and son. Ultimately, Pheidippides, whom would be considered ‘new’, triumphs over the old Strepsiades, his father. This is analogous to the Just and Unjust speech. In this debate, Just speech represents the old traditions and mores of Greece while the contrasting Unjust speech is considered to be newfangled and cynical towards the old. While the defeat of Just speech by Unjust speech does not render Pheidippides the ability to overcome Strepsiades, it is a parallel that may be compared with many other instances in Mythology and real life.
Some evaluations claim that the Dionysus appearing in The Bacchae is fairly true embodiment of the ideals of ancient Athens. He demands only worship and proper reverence for his name, two matters of honor that pervaded both the Greek tragedies and the pious society that viewed them. In other plays, Oedipus' consultations with Apollo and the many Choral appeals to Zeus reveal the Athenian respect for their gods, while Electra's need for revenge and Antigone's obligation to bury Polyneices both epitomize the themes of respect and dignity. Yet although Dionysus personifies these two motifs, his clashes with the rest of Athenian tradition seem to make him its true adversary. Dionysius distinctly opposes the usual views on gender, age, rationality and divinity, leaving the reader to wonder whether these contrasts were Euripidean attempts to illuminate specific facets of the culture itself.
During the time of Aristotle, revenge was seen as something of honor. It was considered noble to try to restore your honor after someone intentionally caused you shame or harm. You were looked at as a coward if you did not try to sneak and plot your revenge. Revenge can either be sought after for ones own internal satisfaction, but in this book, it is usually required because of what others might think as far as ones reputation is concerned. During Aristotle’s time, if you were seeking revenge one had strict guidelines to follow to ensure that the one seeking revenge was doing it out of honor and integrity. In this paper, we will view if the character Odysseus followed these guidelines on two occasions when he was seeking revenge. The two main events of revenge in the book were against the Cyclops and the suitors that were courting his wife.
What ancient religion contains infidelity, incest, and life-time long punishments of which were almost, if not, are unbearable? Welcome to Greek Mythology! The Ancient Greeks envisioned higher powers, such as titans, gods and many other mystical wonders to account for every unexplainable thing they saw. As a result, a series of tales of betrayal, humiliation and entrancements sprouted from the imagination of the Ancient Greeks. The international bestseller, Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths, by Bernard Evslin, engages it’s readers, while telling the narratives of the Greek Gods.
Aristophanes denounces the importance of the gods' influence on the actions of mortals. In the usual tragedy, the gods play an extremely important role towards the actions of the mortal characters. Through fear of the alternative and examples of the past, Athenians carried out their everyday lives under the guidance of the gods' wishes. Aristophanes challenges the audience, and Greek culture as a whole, by offering a different view on the answers and directions of life, than that of the gods. He denounces the parables and explanations to answers in life that involve the gods. Instead he explains that such things as the aerial whirlwind, and especially the clouds, are the reasoning behind all of natures actions. On the surface these comments were seen as a mockery and very humorous. Underlying this humor is a scary truth, most likely ignored by the congregations witnessing this play. How many times has a character in a tragedy been so willing to contradict the gods? Dominant characters like Creon and Prometheus have blatantly disobeyed the gods. The alternative explanations serve a hidden truth in the hearts of many of the Athenian people. This truth is always again repressed by the end of each play, tragedy or comedy; because their was too great of a fear to upset the higher beings.
In Euripides’ play The Bacchae, the ideals that were the foundation of Greek culture were called into question. Until early 400B.C.E. Athens was a society founded upon rational thinking, individuals acting for the good of the populace, and the “ideal” society. This is what scholars commonly refer to as the Hellenic age of Greek culture. As Athens is besieged by Sparta, however, the citizens find themselves questioning the ideals that they had previously lived their lives by. Euripides’ play The Bacchae shows the underlying shift in ideology of the Greek people from Hellenic (or classical), to Hellenistic; the god character Dionysus will be the example that points to the shifting Greek ideology.
...gh. He has given Pentheus numerous warnings and opportunities to obey and worship him. Pentheus, due to his exceeding incompetence, has overlooked all of them. Because of his refusal to conform, he deserves punishment and it is a fate the audience has come to welcome. Dionysus now takes control over Pentheus and his all his actions. He humiliates Pentheus by dressing him in women's dress and parading him throughout Thebes. Dionysus then leads him up to Mount Cithaeron where he is caught spying on the Bacchae by his crazed mother, Agave. She proceeds to tear him to shreds with her bare hands. This is the end for Pentheus, and ultimately, due to his constant ignorance, a just death.
The act of revenge in classical Greek plays and society is a complex issue with unavoidable consequences. In certain instances, it is a more paramount concern than familial ties. When a family member is murdered another family member is expected to seek out and administer revenge. If all parties involved are of the same blood, the revenge is eventually going to wipe out the family. Both Aeschylus, through "The Oresteia Trilogy," and Sophocles, through "Electra," attempt to show the Athenians that revenge is a just act that at times must have no limits on its reach. Orestes and his sister Electra, the children of the slain Agamemnon, struggle on how to avenge their father's death. Although unsure what course of action they must take, both brother and sister are in agreement that revenge must occur. Revenge is a crucial part of Greek plays that gives the characters a sense of honor and their actions a sense of justice.
Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound portrays a greek god detained by a superior for disobedience against the latter’s rule. On the other hand in Euripides’ Hippolytus portrays lust and vengeance of the gods and the extent that they can go to to avenge it.
Aphrodite’s resentment towards Hippolytus caused her to create his fate by making him a victim. Phaedra’s death was only the first step to truly make Hippolytus suffer. The awful note had left Hippolytus reputation in shambles as his own father had banished him from the town. Theseus screeches in terror, “How like you is what you’ve said! You will not die in this way, according to this law you’ve set up for yourself; for a quick death is easiest for an unfortunate man. No, an exile from your fatherland, you will wander over a foreign land and drag out a painful life” (Euripides 133). Theseus’ fury over the loss of his wife and what he thought was the distrust of his son caused for him to quickly and illogically decipher a punishment. This exile was considered the worst torture possible for the Greeks, which pleased Aphrodite because Hippolytus had become a true victim of her. The notion of being pushed away and unwanted causes people to feel desperate. This desperation causes people to want to hurt others as a way to express their emotions. Aphrodite needed to truly victimize Hippolytus in order to feel better about herself, despite the fact that others got hurt along the way. In the end Hippolytus’ choice, not to honor Aphrodite caused her to take his fate into her own hands and make him her
"Bacchae", by Euripides, talks about Dionysus (also called Bromius, Bacchus, or Evius), son of Zeus and a mortal woman, Semele, who came back to his homeland of Thebes to show everyone that he was a real god. His mother was killed while giving birth to him and her sisters spread rumors that she lied about her pregnancy. Therefore his family does not know about his existence. Dionysus's cousin Pentheus was not convinced that he was god and argued with him in spite of everyone around telling him to stop fighting with Dionysus. At the end of the play, his own mother killed Pentheus while she was at the state of being possessed by Bacchus; not knowing it was her son. Why does Pentheus get killed? This essay discusses three possible explanations for that.
The gods in power, like Zeus, exhibit bias, dishonor, betrayal, deception, and many other humanly characteristics. One memorable scene is when Zeus and Poseidon are in conflict with each other over the Achaens versus the Trojans. Zeus controls the battle by “lifting the famous runner Achilles’ glory higher,” (Homer 13: 404). Zeus plays both sides in this scene, acting like a double agent which is dishonorable. Zeus’s bias is prevalent throughout the poem; specifically, he is “bent on wiping out the Argives, down to the last man,” (Homer 12: 81-82). Just like mortals such as Agamemnon and Achilles view each other with suspicion and intolerance, the gods experience identical emotions of wariness, anger, and irritation. This human-like behavior is not restricted to Zeus. Later in the text, Hera lies to Aphrodite to use her powers to manipulate her own husband Zeus. If one looks at Hera as a heavenly entity, her reaction may not make sense, but when it is viewed as a manifestation of human emotion, it become almost reasonable. Her scheming response to Zeus’s meddling with the war is spurred by her support for the Trojans. Hera’s manipulation and Aphrodite’s ego don’t stand alone as examples of this divine humanity. These instances suggest that the deities are being presented in this unique way to help explain behavior of the humans in The
Throughout The Bacchae, Euripides uses the Greek myth of Dionysus’s revenge on Pentheus, the king of Thebes, and his mother, Agave, to compare the complex worlds of nature versus man. From the entrance of the royal palace of Thebes there are two paths, the first of which leads east to the wilderness of Cithaeron, while the other leads west to the ancient city of Thebes. Is it possible that these two locations are merely the random setting of this Greek Tragedy, or are they meant to give deeper insight into the delicate balance between rationality and savagery in human society? The answer is clearly the latter. The opposing ideas that these locations represent, along with Euripides’s use of conflict, juxtaposition, extended metaphor, irony, and imagery, help to fully convey one of the overall messages of his work: not only will there always be a place for the irrational within an ordered society, but it is necessary in order for a healthy society or mind to thrive.
“Gods can be evil sometimes.” In the play “Oedipus the King”, Sophocles defamed the gods’ reputation, and lowered their status by making them look harmful and evil. It is known that all gods should be perfect and infallible, and should represent justice and equity, but with Oedipus, the gods decided to destroy him and his family for no reason. It might be hard to believe that gods can have humanistic traits, but in fact they do. The gods, especially Apollo, are considered evil by the reader because they destroyed an innocent man’s life and his family. They destroyed Oedipus by controlling his fate, granting people the power of prophecy, telling Oedipus about his fate through the oracle of Apollo, and finally afflicting the people of Thebes with a dreadful plague. Fundamentally, by utilizing fate, prophecies, the oracle of Apollo, and the plague, the gods played a significant role in the destruction of Oedipus and his family.