Dionysus and the Breakdown of Ideologies in the Bacchae Some evaluations claim that Dionysus appearing in the Bacchae is a quite true embodiment of the ideals of ancient Athens. It demands only adoration and due reverence for its name, two matters of honor that pervaded both Greek tragedies and the pious society that viewed them. In other plays, Oedipus' consultations with Apollo and numerous choral appeals to Zeus reveal Athenian respect for their gods, while Electra's need for revenge and Antigone's obligation to bury Polyneices both embody themes of respect and dignity . Yet, although Dionysus personifies these two motifs, his clashes with the rest of Athenian tradition seem to make him the true adversary. Dionysius stands in stark opposition to the usual views on gender, age, rationality, and divinity, leaving the reader to wonder whether these contrasts were Euripidean attempts to illuminate specific aspects of culture itself. Examination of Dionysus' challenges should begin with the most obvious perversion of the Bacchae's customs, the question of gender. As Dionysus indicates at the beginning of the play, the enraptured group of followers of the Bacchae consists only of women: "Every woman of Thebes, but only women, / I drove from home" (35-36). Although Cadmus further illuminates the matter by raising the question, “Are we the only men / who will dance for Bacchus?” (195-196), the text offers no definitive explanation of why Dionysus addresses women exclusively. A superficial reading might suggest that Euripides attempted to portray the stereotype of the "weaker sex" as the one "more susceptible to invasive passions than men, in particular to eros and demonic possession", but what is probably at stake is something more. Like Edith Hall ..... . middle of paper......ty since "things could happen in real life in Athens that were practically unthinkable in a tragedy, and vice versa." Perhaps the safest assessment of Dionysus is that, while not a direct opponent of traditional ways, his presence, and especially his effect on the other characters, serves to highlight many social norms. According to Bernad Knox, "From beginning to end, Euripides was 'trying to show citizens brought up on traditional views... that such conceptions of the gods should offend them.'" Perhaps we readers will never fully understand the Dionysus who appears in this comedy, but a final look at a chorus observation can bring us one step closer to this understanding: What is wisdom? What gift of the gods is held in honor like this: to hold your victorious hand above the heads of those you hate? Honor is forever precious. (877-881)