Background Flashcards
what is the purpose of using ‘Echionides’ in line 513?
‘son of Echion’- reminds us of the ancestry of the King from the ‘sown men’ who came from dragon’s teeth
who is Bacchus the child of?
Jupiter and mortal woman Semele sick was tricked by Jupiter’s jealous wife into Juno into asking him to use his full power in their lovemaking and was destroyed- Bacchus was rescued from the dying woman any implanted in the thigh of Jupiter where he was born later on
what was Pentheus’ mother and her sisters called?
Agaue- the two named sisters are Ino and Autonoe
why are the Thebans called dragon-born?
their founding ancestor Cadmus populated his new city of Thebes with men born from the teeth of dragon whom he killed, Cadmus also married Harmonia, daughter of Mars and Venus and so Thebans claimed descent from Mars
what is important to remember about the ‘femineae voces’?
this refers to men behaving like women
why does Pentheus single out the the old men first for criticism?
they shared Cadmus’ perilous voyage from Tyre in Phoenicia to found Thebes, giving their fugitive household gods a place to rest only to be captured without a fight now
what were the penates?
household gods
what was the thyrsus?
a ritual staff wreathed in ivy and vine-leaves and used by Bacchants- it can injure as well as working miracles
what is an example of a miracle performed by the thyrsus?
it made water spring from a rock as told in lines 704-5 of Euripides’ Bacchae
what is the ‘fronde’ referred to?
the ivy which was worn by Bacchants to commemorate the use of these leaves by the nymphs of Mount Nysa to protect the infant Bacchus from the anger of his father’s jealous wife Juno
what is ironic about the use of ‘coronae’?
they were worn as symbols of military victory as well at drinking-parties- here they are party gear but there is an underlying suggestion that Bacchus will eventually win the battle
what is the significance of the gold in Bacchus’ clothing?
it’s obviously expensive and signifies decadence, but it’s also a soft metal whose presence in the clothing would add colour but no protection to this unarmed boy
what is funny about Pentheus’ idolising of Acrisius?
he also denied that Bacchus was a god and ended up regretting this when the women of Argos were driven mad- but he was more famous from his attempt to defy destiny by imprisoning his daughter Danae in a tower to stop her producing the child destined to kill him- he didn’t die at the hands of Bacchus
who is the ‘avus’ referred to in line 564?
Cadmus
who was Athamas?
the husband of Ino, the sister of Pentheus’ mother Agaue
