The Bacchae

I read 'The Bacchae' on the plane on the way home for spring break. It was definitely a perfect 'plane read' which is what my Aunt calls it. I think that added to the atmosphere of it as well. I was thinking while reading it about how excited I was to go home, and how I could finally drink wine. It seem may seem strange, but I promised my Dad that I wouldn't drink any alcohol until I came home for spring break. It was really important to him that I didn't, so I promised. I felt like these were the perfect thoughts for reading about Dionysus. Although this story was a little dark, I really enjoyed it. I may be deranged, but I love the part at the end when Agave experiences her anagnorisis, and discovers that the head she holds is not a lion, but really her son Pentheus. It was such a horrible moment, but written in a way that made it beautiful somehow. "That horrible thing you carry is Pentheus.... Do you see? It's the hero-trophy I captured, so you could hang it in your house... Grief beyond measure- I can't take it in. Achieved? Wretched hands! It's murder.... I wish my son could follow my example, and be a lucky hunter whenever he goes after game... When you know what you've done, you'll feel the most terrible agony of pain.... What do you mean? It's not beautiful? It's painful?..." (50-1). It keeps going onto the next few pages, and it is horribly beautiful. Maybe it's like my older sister used to say when she braided my hair and she would pull on it so hard I'd cry "nothing beautiful ever came without pain."