Classics Play 2010
'The Bacchae' by Euripides
After successful productions of Roman comedies for the last three years, the Classics Department has decided to return to the world of Greek drama this year with a production of ‘The Bacchae’, a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides.
Background
Zeus, the king of the gods, had an affair with Semele, a daughter of Cadmus, the founder and king of the Greek city of Thebes. Zeus’ wife, Hera, was jealous and made Semele doubt that her lover was really Zeus, a doubt exacerbated by the fact that Semele’s own sisters did not believe her. Semele made Zeus promise to grant her one wish – to reveal himself as a god. When Zeus did so, Semele was killed by the lightning blast of his radiance. Zeus took their unborn son, Dionysus and sewed him in his own thigh until he was ready to be born again. Although Theban by birth, Dionysus grew up in Phrygia, where he was worshipped as the god of nature and fertility.
The Play
As the play begins, Dionysus (Chris Heining) has returned to Thebes, in disguise, to wreak revenge on Semele’s sisters for not believing his mother years earlier and the new king of Thebes, the young and hot-headed Pentheus (Luke Sperry), for refusing to worship him and acknowledge him as a god in his city. Dionysus has brought with him a chorus of his followers from Phrygia (led by Isaac Murdy) and they have initiated many women of Thebes into the new religion, including Pentheus’ mother, Agaue (Gemma Isherwood) and the rest of Semele’s sisters, who have unwittingly been driven into madness and frenzy by Dionysus. The play focuses on the hostile confrontation between the king and the god and the fact that Pentheus, as the grandson of Cadmus (Will Nolan), is Dionysus’ cousin, adds to the intrigue of the drama.
To find out whether Pentheus accepts Dionysus as a god in Thebes or Dionysus is forced to carry out his threats, come and see the Classics Play, starting at 7.30pm, on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th March 2010 in the Founder Hall.
