The Bacchae

Associated with ecstasy, wine, and madness, Dionysus is intimately connected with theater. Though theater’s origins are uncertain, it is believed to have evolved out of worship of him. The city Dionysius, where tragedies were performed in March, was held in honor of Dionysus Eleutherious, meaning “the Liberator.” This cult variant speaks to the god’s duality and the double-sided nature of his gift: Wine can provide respite from worries, freedom from cares and social restraints, but with this liberation can come dangerous excess.

Dionysus has been understood as a god of dualities and liminality, also reflected in his birth narrative and upbringing. The children of mortals and gods typically inherit their human parent’s mortality, but Dionysus (child of the mortal Semele and the god Zeus) becomes a god instead. After a pregnant Semele dies because of Hera’s schemes, Zeus secures her unborn baby into his thigh until his gestation is complete. Dionysus is then born from Zeus’ thigh. This unusual birth is another example of a traditional boundary crossed.

His duality is shown in Bacchae in the way his maenads occupy themselves peacefully in life-sustaining activities (calling forth milk, wine, and water, nursing baby animals) but are also driven to destruction and violence, as suits his plans.