![]() The story of Pentheus and Bacchus was made famous in Classical Greece by the playwright Euripides, who wrote The Bacchae in the late 5th century BCE. ![]() He is intent on banishing all traces of Bacchus, whom he does not believe to be a true god.īacchus, by Peter Paul Rubens, 1638-1640, via Hermitage Museum ![]() When we meet Pentheus, he is outraged by the popularity of the cult of Bacchus, which is sweeping through Thebes. These moralizing tales can be found throughout Ovid’s Metamorphoses, no less so than in the story of Pentheus, King of Thebes. Often this truth comes in the form of an explanation for a natural phenomenon or a moral lesson to be learned. The majority of Greek myths have both a story to tell and a universal truth to reveal. Ovid’s poem contains over 250 tales, all of which are linked by the concept of metamorphosis-the changing of shape or form. Greek and Roman writers often incorporated myth into their work as its legendary status was associated with sophistication and a learned mind. Ovid’s Metamorphoses is an epic poem heavily inspired by the stories of Greek mythology. ![]() ![]() Metamorphoses – Pentheus and Acoetes Fresco depicting Pentheus and the Bacchants, from Pompeii, 1st century CE, via National Archaeological Museum of Naples ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2023
Categories |