| This study focuses on Euripides's tragedy the Bacchae . The traditional approach interprets the tragedy as an expression of the polarized relationship between Apollonian and Dionysian forces within the psyche. Our conscious and rational ways of perceiving reality are guided by Apollo, and our unconscious and instinctual ways of perceiving reality are guided by Dionysus. The thesis argues that by reducing interpretations to this dichotomy, traditional approaches tend to be abstract and conceptual. As a result, they have not maintained a strong connection to the specific images contained in the tragedy.;The central image in the Bacchae is comprised of the two embodied individuals who conflict with one another onstage---Pentheus, the king of Thebes, and Dionysus, disguised as a mortal. Pentheus exhibits attributes which are specifically anti-Dionysian---he is obsessed with the need to maintain rigid order and control, he has a puritanical set of moral values, and he places a high priority on physically separating the civilized inner world of Thebes from the uncivilized outer world. In contrast, Dionysus displays attributes that diametrically set him apart from Pentheus. He is opposed to orderliness, and he is playful, licentious, bestial, and sexual.;The thesis provides evidence that the Pentheus-Dionysus image from the Bacchae has reappeared in many creative works in Western culture over the last four hundred years. This evidence indicates that there may be archetypal aspects to the image which reside in the collective unconscious of the Western psyche. The paired image appears in several classics of literature---William Shakespeare's Othello, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick , and Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. The image also appears in popular contemporary culture in Thomas Harris's Silence of the Lambs and the movie Pleasantville. The appeal of these versions of the original tragedy reflects the timelessness of its themes and the ongoing power of its images. |
