The Bacchae Flashcards
Who wrote the play?
Euripides
Was Euripides popular among the Athenian public?
No
What was Euripides aiming to change?
The original state of affairs with which he was writing
What role did this mainly involve?
The role of women
What does the play centralise on according to the Hammer and the Flute?
The role of a possessed woman and their negative influence on men in society
What did the possessive role of women lead to?
The mutilation and murder to the king
What did the Hammer and Flute argue Euripides was trying to challenge?
Society and the traditional beliefs
How was he doing this?
BY speaking out against the aristocratic influence
What did Ruth Padel argue the role of a possessed woman was used for?
To speak out against ‘humanities current condition’
What did this therefore highlight women as being?
‘a social and sexual emblem in an unjust system’
What could using women as a sexual emblem therefore cultivate?
A change simply because they are different to the accepted norms of society
What is the negative impact of female worshippers perceived as?
Having an ecstasy based goal
When is this goal predominant?
It is predominant when undergoing the celebration of Bacchae festivals
Who spoke about this ‘predominant goal’?
Ross S. Kraemer
What does Kraemer state the motifs for the women of Bacchae festivals were?
Insanity and possession
