The Bacchanals

The Bacchanals, written by Euripides, is a Greek tragedy based on the myth of King Pentheus and his mother Agave. The story revolves around the god Dionysus seeking revenge for the slander that he is not the son of Zeus. Dionysus arrives in Thebes to introduce his wild rites and prove his divine heritage to Pentheus. Unlike other Greek tragedies, this play features a chorus that is an integral part of the plot, and Dionysus is not just a distant presence but the main character. In the end, Pentheus is torn apart by the women of Thebes, and Agave carries his head on a pike to her father Cadmus. This translation by Henry Hart Milman, a former Professor of Poetry at Oxford University, is presented as a dramatic poem.