The Ecstasy of Reason Essay

In the myth of Dionysus there isn’t exactly a conflict between two sides of people battling for good or evil, its more as a battle between the two sides of Dionysus’ inner self. Unlike most examples of good versus evil, there isn’t a triumphant side. Just the personality switches between Dionysus being the joy-god or the heartless, savage, brutal-god. The reason for this change is due to the fact that he is the vine god; Wine is bad as well as good. He’d bring up peoples hopes and make them believe that they were capable of anything, but once they were sober again

Dionysos is defined as the god of wine, festivity, vegetation, pleasure, and divine intoxication. In the Hope Dionysos, he is depicted as a peaceful and joyful figure that represent happiness in Greek mythology. The statue is sculpted from marble as its medium and is classified as a stone

In ancient Greek Myths, the description of Zeus’ character can range from a heroic leader to that of a vile dictator, depending on the author’s intention. This contrast is especially noteworthy when comparing Hesiod’s Theogony with Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, as Zeus is presented as the world’s protector in the former, while he is portrayed as selfish and ruthless in Aeschylus’ tale.

Hence the messenger’s speeches are crucial as they drive the plot forward. However the messenger is also able to comment on scenes he describes, and in doing so exhibits a form of ‘sophia’. He sees the power of the maenads first-hand and understands the terrible greatness of Dionysus and urges Pentheus to accept the god: “sire, welcome him to Thebes. For he is great…” He too exhibits the wisdom of Cadmus and Teiresias, the ‘sophia’ of understanding the need for acceptance, and the dangers of denying a deity.

Dionysus was a wanderer. During these journeys he explored the world. On these journeys he came across many different people and taught them how to keep their vines healthy. On one of his journeys he was captured by pirates. While he was in bondage of these pirates they tried to tie him down. Wherever the rope would touch him it would fall apart. In

Pentheus foolishly suspects that the stranger is weak based solely on his effeminate appearance. The audience is quickly made aware of Pentheus’ ignorance in expecting the conventional, because they know that Dionysus is far from it. The king’s shallowness proves to be fatal when he is convinced to enter the domain of the Bacchae and is brutally killed by them, just as Dionysus had planned. Euripides and many of his contemporaries were masters of dramatic irony.

Hesiod’s Theogony has transcended generations, delivering to vast audiences the traditional stories of the Greek gods as well as ancient Greek conceptions of the world. One particularly well known aspect of the Theogony, the section that tells the tale of Prometheus, is unique in that it has little intrinsic worth; its value is in its ability to enhance other stories and conceptions. Across the globe, people know well the story of the one who deceived Zeus and stole fire for man, but few recognize its role in Hesiod’s work as a whole. The story of Prometheus serves two primary purposes for Hesiod and his audience. First, it solidifies Zeus’s position as king of the gods, providing one of the first characterizations of his temperament, and

In Euripides’ the Bacchae, the city of Thebes is shown to have a system of political inheritance as Pentheus is given control over the city by his grandfather Cadmus, the founder of the city. The god Dionysus is also a grandson of Cadmus, yet is not chosen to be the heir to Thebes, which creates a rivalry between Dionysus and Pentheus. Pentheus does not allow Dionysus into the city of Thebes or give recognition to Dionysus at all. Dionysus and Pentheus both wish to establish their own political rule over the city of Thebes. Pentheus attempts to rule Thebes in an Apollonian fashion. The women brought to Thebes by Dionysus are put under arrest at the order of Pentheus, due to the drunken partying they were having due to Dionysus’ powers. The women’s party went against the social order enforced by the city of Thebes, and Dionysus

I chose to compare and contrast two works of art that featured the god Dionysos. Dionysos was a god of celebration and wine, promoting both the intoxicating power of wine and its social benefits for bringing people together. He was an advocate of peace and a promoter of peaceful civilization. Both The Hope Dionysos and the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons Sarcophagus represent why Dionysos was such an important and celebrated figure in mythology, which is why I chose to analyze two works of art that centered on him. My first impression of each piece was of Dionysos as a peaceful, benevolent and joyful figure. I was struck by the calm peacefulness he embodied in The Hope Dionysos and the happiness he shared on the Triumph of Dionysos and the Seasons Sarcophagus. Though there are many elements to compare and contrast, my analysis will show that both pieces are tributes and representations of Dionysos meaning and purpose in Roman art.

As Pentheus interrogates Dionysus he again is issued a direct warning not to go against the will of the gods by persecuting one whom the gods favor. As Dionysus calmly states, "Very well, I¹ll go along with this wrongful undestined destiny, but remember this: Dionysus, who you say does not exist, will wreak revenge on you for this" (Euripides 417). The story culminates in Dionysus playing on Pentheus¹ curiosity and voyeurism regarding the intoxicated hordes of Thebian women, by tricking him to go out to see them in action. Pentheus is brutally ripped apart by the possessed women, yet in effect it was his own actions that caused his destruction. As Dionysus directly addresses the hubris of Pentheus, "The sins of jealousy and anger made this Pentheus deal unjustly with one bringing blessings, whom he disgracefully imprisoned and insulted; and so he met his end at the hands of his own kin‹ an unnatural end and yet a just one" (Euripides 453).

Dionysus moved on to Thebes, which at the time was ruled by his cousin Pentheus. Pentheus did not know who Dionysus was, or that he was a god. Dionysus was with his group of followers, we were singing and dancing while drunk on wine. Pentheus did not like the strangers, and ordered his guards to imprison all of them. Pentheus insulted Dionysus, and called him a ‘cheating sorcerer’. The prophet Teiresias, who had already dressed as one of Dionysus's followers gave Pentheus a warning: "The man you reject is a new god. He is Semele's child, whom Zeus rescued. He and Demeter, are the greatest upon earth for men.” Pentheus laughed at Teiresias, and ordered the guards to continue.

Furthermore, religion was referred a lot in the film. Hellenism was brought up in the film. For example, Olympias was surrounded with snakes in her room. There are scenes where Olympias had snakes wrapped around her leg. This represents that she was a follower of the god, Dionysius, whose rituals involved snakes coiling themselves around human bodies. Moreover, there were references to Greek gods and goddesses. For example, Olympias told Alexander that his real father was Zeus, and he had no blood relation to King Philip II.

Pentheus obtains kingship from his grandfather and rules as a narcissistic and temperamental, stern king whose flaws as both a man and king of Thebes, eventually lead to his own self-destruction. After the family banished his aunt, Semele, for saying that her son, Dionysus, was the son of Zeus, Pentheus and the rest of his family

In a time when faith and hard labor kept the majority of society alive, the introduction of reason by the Enlightenment was initially perceived as a threat. People had focused on their faiths and grasped the traditions and rituals of their dogmas. The Enlightenment introduced the possibility of faith and reason coinciding and cooperating to form a more civilized and equal society to replace the Old Regime, and the changes lasted far after the period of the Enlightenment.

In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche explained Greek culture as a battle between what he called the Apollonian and Dionysian forces (Campbell 334). The Apollonian, named after the god Apollo, is “order, lawfulness, perfect form, clarity, precision, self-control, and individuation” (Schact). Fiona Jenkins describes it as “an art of the visible: it is linked to the power of dreams, illusion . . . Through the Apollonian moment of art the individual is reconstituted as a product of his own ‘dream.’” Joseph Campbell adds that Apollo is the god of prophecy, light, and the sky (336). He is also associated with purification of guilt and error (Fagles 17).