The Bacchae

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-bacchae

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the playwright?Euripides
2. What is the approximate year of composition?405 BCE
3. What is The Bacchae about?The Bacchae is a play by Euripides that tells the story of the god Dionysus visiting Thebes and the king Pentheus who tries to stop his wild celebrations.
4. Who is Dionysus in the play?Dionysus is the god of wine, fertility, and ecstatic rituals who comes to Thebes to prove he is a real god.

Dionysus: The Greek god of wine, fertility, ecstatic ritual, theatre, and religious frenzy.
Maenads: Frenzied female devotees of Dionysus, characterized by ecstatic dances and wild rituals.
King Pentheus: The king of Thebes who denies Dionysus's divinity and becomes the victim of his wrath.
Thyrsus: A symbolic staff carried by Dionysus and his followers, typically adorned with ivy and a pinecone.