In the Bacchae, for whom do you feel more sympathy – Pentheus or Dionysus? In
the Bacchae, Pentheus and Dionysus have very different characters. They are both
very complex characters and they both go through changes that alter the way you
see them. At the beginning of the play, we are given a very dramatic image of
Dionysus at his mothers, Semele’s monument. He is wearing a crown of ivy,
carrying a thyrsus and wearing a fawn skin. It is a very mysterious and haunting
scene. When Dionysus speaks he speaks angrily and passionately - you do not get
the impression that he is a very subdued character. In contrast, however, when
you first meet Pentheus you see him as a very proud man. He is outraged with the
women of Thebes, he has a strict sense of his own beliefs – he simply cannot
understand why the women are choosing to believe in a foreign god, an ‘
upstart god ’. He is instinctively sceptical. He believes that the women of
Troy have left ‘on some pretence of Bacchic worship’. He is so cynical he
honestly cannot believe in the power of Bacchus. When we first meet the two
adversaries face to face, we at first feel sympathy for Dionysus, for he is the
prisoner. Pentheus starts the conversation thinking he has the upper hand
because he has more power over the situation. However, it is clear to the
audience that Dionysus is in control of the situation. He is calm and strong. He
could have felt threatened, being in a king’s presence, but instead he acts
confidently. This could have made me feel proud of Dionysus for handling the
situation so well; if it was not for the fact that he cruelly mocks Pentheus.
Pentheus obviously has no idea that he is talking to a god, and Dionysus takes
full advantage of this. Dionysus drops hints that he is not simply a Bacchic
worshiper, but these are only obvious to the audience. Dionysus tells us that
Dionysus is ‘close at hand and sees what’s being done to me’. The audience
can appreciate the subtly in this, but to Pentheus the man is just provoking
him. I think that Pentheus is jealous of Dionysus’ power over women, long
curls and white skin. This would explain why he is so condescending to Dionysus.
Pentheus does not want to believe that Dionysus is really the son of Zeus. I
think that deep down he knows that he is and that is why he constantly needs to
reassure himself of his royal status. I think Dionysus is aware of Pentheus’
jealousy and he uses this to his own advantage. We know that he can manipulate
people, as he can make the guard feel guilty for simply bringing him before the
king. I can sympathise with Pentheus because it is hard for him to understand
this new, foreign cult, let alone accept it. He is a young and relatively new
king and unused to his power, without having it questioned by a foreigner. He
wants to assert his power and to be in control. He can not do this when being
threatened by an eastern cult. I do disagree, however, with the way Pentheus
tries to dictate Thebes - it should be up to the people of Thebes to make up
their own minds as to their beliefs. If they want to believe that Dionysus is
the son of Zeus, there is nothing Pentheus can do to change their minds.
Pentheus is frightened by the way that the women are so sure of themselves, he
does not like the way they are suddenly at ease with nature. What he does not
realise is that Dionysus does not want the women to completely abandon
themselves to nature, but just to recognise his importance and the importance of
his worship. There are many qualities that make Dionysus a strong god, he is
very wise and helps the people to forget their suffering by procuring wine. He
is also a prophet and can enable people to see their future. Dionysus is often
blamed for his female followers being unchaste and without morals. I do not
think that this is a fair accusation, as he does not make them act immoral. If
they do, then they are already immoral and would have been so even of they had
stayed at home with their families. Teiresias makes this clear when he says
‘Dionysus will not compel women to be chaste, since in all matters
self-control resides in our own natures’. Dionysus is also thought to have
been the reason the women of Thebes become fiends and ransack the nearby
villages when faced with any opposition or violence. I do not think that this
has anything to do with the religion, for when the chorus, the true Bacchants,
are faced with violence they instead lie prostrate on the floor calling for
their god to rescue them. What I do not agree with though, is the way Dionysus
turns everyone mad. It is not the people of Thebes’ fault that Agauë, Ino and
Autonoe believed that a mortal fathered Dionysus. It is very unjust of Dionysus
to punish the whole city. I also do not agree with the way that he punishes
Cadmus. The man has done nothing wrong, he believed in Bacchus and followed his
rituals. He has to come to terms with the murder of his grandson, by his own
daughter. It is not fair to also banish him from his home. Cadmus even appeals
to Dionysus, telling him that ‘Gods should not be like mortals in
vindictiveness’. His pleas are ignored. There are also reasons for not
sympathising with Pentheus. He immediately judges Dionysus to be an effeminate
weakling and mocks him for this. He also judges the women of Thebes and the
Maenads too quickly. He is xenophobic, racist and snobbish. Whilst these are not
admirable characteristics in a person, they can be excused because Pentheus is
only a mortal. Dionysus does not have that excuse. However, Pentheus can
sometimes simply be accused of being incompetent. He makes a foolish judgement
in locking Dionysus up. He has blatantly ignored the guards’ and Dionysus’
warnings, about the miracles that Dionysus can perform. In the third scene when
Dionysus is hunting Pentheus, Pentheus is wearing Bacchanal garb, much as a
victim of sacrifice would have. This is a central scene in the play. It is here
that I can clearly see that the roles of Dionysus and Pentheus have been
reversed. Now it is Dionysus in control of Pentheus’ utter humiliation. I feel
far more sympathy for Pentheus than Dionysus because Pentheus is not aware that
he is under spell or being mocked. Even when it was Dionysus being hunted, he
was always aware of what he was doing. Pentheus would never have humiliated
himself by dressing in women’s clothes and acting vain, if he had been of sane
mind. When it finally comes to the death of Pentheus, I feel no warmth for
Dionysus whatsoever. He has cruelly lured Pentheus to his death and has sent
Agaue mad and unable to tell that she is murdering her own son. Whatever
sympathy I had once felt for Dionysus’ character is now gone. He has acted in
such a cold, heartless manner to everyone around him. He has driven every one
who did not believe that he was the son of Zeus mad, as well as some who did. He
has acted in a vindictive and vengeful manner not fitting for a god. He is the
son of Zeus, but he acts like a resentful mortal. Pentheus, though he has made
some bad decisions, is definitely the character I feel more sympathy for. Almost
all the way through the play, he is not aware of what is happening around him,
or the way he is being used. It is quite pitiful to see the way he tries to
grasp on to his power and sanity. He deludes himself all through the play that
he is the one in charge, the one with the authority.