In the form of a play, Euripides implements elements and themes of religion, violence, femininity, masculinity, foreignness, and many other themes in “The Bacchae”, premiered in 405 BC. The play elicited a variety of reactions from the people of Ancient Athens. The play surrounds the peripeteia Pentheus undergoes as he unknowingly challenges the God, Dionysus. Dionysus has disguised himself to lead Pentheus to this outcome. Euripides’ “The Bacchae” exemplifies how the fragility of masculinity can hinder males from acting with logic and reason in many situations.
Throughout history, the definition of masculinity has fluctuated, as well as how males in society are influenced by it. During nearly every era documented in history, societies have been male dominated, and males have been
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expected to be stoic and act as adults at an inappropriately young age.
The documentary The Mask You Live In focuses on the detrimental impact that the toxic social construct of masculinity has on young males in modern day America. Young males, typically around adolescence, often “[feel] compelled to prove their masculinity through sports and those who turned to drugs to numb the pain they [could not] talk about” because of social expectations (Mechanic 1). Even parents often encourage their sons practically from birth to embrace the social standards for males. They are given toy trucks to play with, encouraged to engage in sports, dress in clothes that display phrases containing elements of adult masculinity, and many more seemingly harmless ideas are implicated in how they are raised. In the documentary, one father even “told [his son] it was time to stop showing his
emotion and start learning to dominate others (Mechanic 1). Most of the time, parents mean well and are unaware of the harm they are causing, but this continues to be an accepted part of modern day culture in America and many other countries. Males being constantly told to suppress emotions and embrace masculine stereotypes has ended catastrophically the majority of the time, as well as blocked their logical thinking. In “The Bacchae”, the fragility of masculinity and similar notions regarding the concept are present through its characters, specifically Pentheus. Pentheus’ personality and characteristics align well with the perceived ideas of masculinity. He is described as a “young man of athletic build, dressed in traditional Greek dress”, typical for a male in his time period (Euripides 163). His outwardness regarding his dislike towards Dionysus, specifically towards his appearance, reflects the impact masculinity has on him as well. Due to the extreme, unrealistic expectation for males to be only masculine, feminine attributes of any degree are intensely looked down upon. Hence Pentheus’ disapproval of the stranger’s “soft, even effeminate, appearance” (Euripides 155). He also taunts the stranger, and deduces that because “[his] curls are long” that “[he does] not wrestle” (Euripides 172). To Pentheus, the stranger is weak, lesser of a man, not threatening, and unworthy of the praise he receives. His masculine, prideful personality, causes him to judge Dionysus for not conforming in the way that he does. This leads to his poor judgement as the play comes to a close. The unfortunate series of events in the play involving Pentheus are directly correlated with his hubris and machismo. The influence of masculinity on Pentheus is the main factor in the peripeteia he experiences. On account of Pentheus’ opinion of the stranger as non threatening and powerless, he vastly underestimates the power needed to contain him. Once Dionysus escapes, he continually denies the fact that Dionysus could be more powerful than him solely because of his effeminate appearance. This makes it evident that “Pentheus perceives what he expects to perceive from an already established reality”, which is because of his fragile hyper masculine personality (Bloom 2). If not for his denial, he could have recognized the stranger’s potential and acted accordingly to prevent disaster. The fate he reaches would then have been avoided. However, this does not occur, and he foolishly falls into Dionysus’ trap, where he then recognizes his fatal mistake and deals with an unfortunate change of events. Additionally, when his empire is in immense danger he is offered two choices: to dress in traditionally female attire or to fight against a God. Logically, one would choose the former as the consequences are extremely minimal in comparison to the latter. He and the stranger argue about what to do and though he agrees that “ ‘if [the Maenads] knew [he was] a man they would kill [him] instantly’ ”, he contends that if he were to dress ‘in a woman’s dress… [he] would die of shame’ ”(Euripides 91). However, Pentheus’ fear of being emasculated even in the slightest causes him to seriously consider the obviously less rational option. Instead of taking the logical path of dressing in drag to save his kingdom and realizing that the stranger is capable of incredible things, his hyper masculine ego blinds him from realizing that the danger present in Dionysus’ power is much worse than any embarrassment he could face. What Pentheus experiences due to his fragile masculinity is not unique to him as it can be seen throughout history. The impact that masculinity has on males’ decision making abilities is exhibited in the play. Masculinity is heavily present throughout history, hence Pentheus’ character in the play. Directly because of this, he experiences peripeteia quite brutally. As a society, it is urgent that masculinity is redefined in a way that is not as toxic to males’ mental state. Males’ unhealthy suppression of emotion and pressure to constantly exhibit dominance often produces more negative than positive results. Even in more casual, less intense examples of the danger than the play presents, males still tend to lack logic and reasoning in their decision making. For instances, in modern day America, it is common for males to avoid asking for directions in fear of seeming lesser than by needing assistance of a male or even worse, a female. This notion is majorly toxic to society, as it is quite irrational, and should be altered. However, one could argue that the social construct is not responsible for males’ poor actions, but the biological nature of males. Many claim that males and females are simply different genetically and have different personalities. They use this as evidence that males act this way without solid scientific proof regarding the difference between males and females, unlike the proof existing that society is what influences males.
The topics that Joe Ehrmann uses as framework for his Building Men for Others program are quite intriguing and make you really question masculinity. The first topic, rejecting false masculinity, can be interpreted a few different ways. In the book, it states: “As young boys, we’re told to be men, or to act like men” soon followed with “we’ve got all these parents say ‘be a man’ to boys that have no concept of what that means. I completely agree with the statement of Joe Ehrmann and often question the definition of ‘being a man’. Many boys and men will reject the idea of a man being anything other than being big and strong or having power.
The concept of masculinity is considered as the qualities and characteristics of a man, typical what is appropriate to a man. In this article, A Community Psychology of Men and Masculinity: Historical and Conceptual Review, The author Eric S. Mankowski and Kenneth I. Maton, analyze four main themes: "Men as gendered beings, the privilege and damage of being a masculine man, men as a privileged group, and men’s power and subjective powerlessness. The second and fourth themes are described as
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.
Jensen provides evidence throughout the text for three assumptions on why masculinity must be terminated from pertaining to just males. It is proposed that masculinity is harmful for both men and women, that men are surrendering their humanity by conforming with masculinity, and
In the story of Medea, the author, Euripides, addresses the topics of foreignism and female roles in the ancient Greek society. In the play, Medea, a foreign born woman, marries Jason, a Greek man, and moves to Greece to be with him after leaving her homeland with death and devastation. Then, when their marriage fails, Medea lashes out against Jason, causing her own exile and murdering her children, to which she has no love connection, and Jason’s new wife in the process. The main character, Medea, confirms many of the alleged Greek prejudices against foreigners and creates some prejudices of her own in return. Medea’s foreign roots and misconceptions, as well as her familial and societal atrocities,
140). Hegemonic masculinity alludes to the stratification and interpretations of masculinity and, progressive systems of force, power, and acknowledgement among men, and amongst men and women (Connell, 1993). “International research has strongly confirmed the initial insight that gender orders construct multiple masculinities” (Connell, & Messerschmidt, 2005, p. 835). At any point in time, one type of masculinity can be socially elevated and more prominent in social settings (Connell, 1993). Hegemonic masculinity is the arrangement of gender stereotypes that encapsulates the current acknowledged response to the issue of the authenticity of patriarchy—which ensures the predominant position of men and the subordination of women (Connell, 1997). Furthermore, a considerable body of research shows that masculinities are not simply different but also subject to change” (Connell, & Messerschmidt, 2005, p. 835). “Hegemonic gender norms set expectations about what is “appropriate” for men and women” (Friedman, 2015, p. 147). For example, in our neoliberal capitalist culture men and women are bombarded with marketing that supports hegemonic masculinity and defines what being a man or woman should look like. “Hegemonic masculinity was understood as the pattern of practice (i.e., things done, not just a set of role expectations or an identity) that
Manhood had not always existed; it was created through culture. Depending on the era, masculinity claimed a different meaning. But in all of its wandering definitions, it consistently contains opposition to a set of “others,” meaning racial and sexual minorities. (pp.45) One of the first definitions was the Marketplace Man, where capitalism revolved around his success in power, wealth, and status. A man devoted himself to his work and family came second. Although this is one of the first standing definitions, it still finds its spot in today’s definition, where masculinity consists of having a high paying job, an attractive young wife, and
In The Bacchae, I believe that Euripides uses the relationship of male and female to explore the alluring concept of feminine empowerment in a patriarchal society and to demonstrate the cost this empowerment subsequently has on ordered civilization. In this paper, I will argue that Euripides uses the conflictual relation between the genders to criticize the role of women in Greek society while also showing the consequences of a total feminine revolt. Through developing this conflict, Euripides is demonstrating how the path to the most successful civilization is through a balance of masculine rationality and feminine emotional freedom. I will prove this by analyzing the positions of Pentheus, the Bacchants, and Dionysus throughout the play. The character Pentheus
George Orwell quotes, “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” The documentary, “The Mask You Live In”, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, shows different ages of males who struggle to be themselves while battling America’s limited meaning of manliness. George Orwell quotes, “He wears a mask, and his face grows to fit it.” Influenced by the media, among their age group, and the grown-ups in their lives, adolescents dissociate their emotions, disrespect women, and are aggressive. Society gender stereotypes affect young males to change to fit into the societal norm as they characterize “real” men.
Masculinity was made hegemonic, by defining power in terms of force and control. This is because men are naturally created with body physique, which is characterized by a higher controlling force than women are. Therefore, using force and control to define power naturalized male superiority. The male body was used to represent power, which was masculinized as force, physical strength, control, speed, toughness, and d...
Many different interpretations can be derived from themes in Euripides's The Bacchae, most of which assume that, in order to punish the women of Thebes for their impudence, the god Dionysus drove them mad. However, there is evidence to believe that another factor played into this confrontation. Because of the trend of male dominance in Greek society, women suffered in oppression and bore a social stigma which led to their own vulnerability in becoming Dionysus's target. In essence, the Thebian women practically fostered Dionysian insanity through their longing to rebel against social norms. Their debilitating conditions as women prompted them to search for a way to transfigure themselves with male qualities in order to abandon their social subordination.
This paper aims to study two significant playwrights, Sophocles and Euripides, and compare their respective attitudes by examining their plays in respect to plot and character structures. To achieve this goal, the paper is organized into two main sections. In the first section, we provide a brief biography of both Sophocles and Euripides. The second and last section includes summaries of Sophocles’ Electra and Euripides’ Electra which were based on same essentials and give an opportunity to observe the differences of the playwrights. This section also includes the comparisons that are made by our observations about the plays.
Hegemonic (Heg·e·mon·ic/ heɡəˈmänik/ adjective) masculinity is a concept first popularized by sociologist R.W Connell, hegemonic masculinity refers to the dominate role of men, and subservient/subordinate role of women in society (Connell). Hegemonic masculinity reinforces the age old idea that men are meant to be tough, strong, and reckless; whereas women are weak, obedient, and subservient to men. The concept of hegemonic masculinity and its ideals, is enforced by societies that rely on such genders. Such strong reinforcement of toxic masculinity can leave long lasting and harmful effects on individuals. Societal expectations of masculinity directly affects an individual’s relations with the same sex, and can lead to irrationals decisions motivated by: shame,
Euripides’ Bacchae is one of his greatest works, a tragedy with popularity of such scope that even today people around the world are reading it, though most often in Classics classes. It provides the reader with a classical Greek tragedy, but also a gripping, funny, and ultimately sad story as we watch a proud man, the king of Thebes, Pentheus, ultimately fall to his own hubris, in his case thinking he can tame his people, or more specifically, outlaw the god Dionysus. This is meaningful beyond the obvious, as a symbol for trying to control your own “wild side” and how it inevitably ends in failure; For Pentheus his failure results in an absolutely gruesome death at the hands of his own mother, but my story tries to go in a different direction, instead offering Pentheus a way out of his predicament, in the form of Zeus, the divine ruler of the heavens and upholder of order. My story also tries to showcase some of the shortcomings of Dionysus’ wild nature in contrast to Pentheus’ level-headedness. Ultimately the ending of my version of the play has Pentheus fall prey to his own hubris as in the original, but adds a small touch relating him to another Greek myth.
behaviors, and social conditions that we call masculinities are “hard-wired” into males through biology (see Thorhill & Palmer, 2000) and/or the heritability of human psyche (see Jung, 1959/1989; Bly, 1990). They view masculinity as static, transhistorical, cross-cultural, and cross-situational. From this perspective, gender change is either impossible, or it involves the use of powerful force to constrain what is seen as “naturally” male. (Masculine Self pg. 19)