The Bacchae Lesson Plan

Discuss the choral song that begins this section. What is its message and how does it transition between the first episode and the next one?

This stasimon is in four parts. The first part emphasizes Dionysus's gifts--"laughter to the flute" and "loosing of cares" (thanks to wine). The second section cautions that "a tongue without reins, defiance, unwisdom--their end is disaster." This section is a warning to Pentheus--"unwisdom" connects to "amathia." In the third part, the chorus longs for a place where they can worship freely, and the fourth section focuses on Dionysus as a god of the "common people," with wine as a great equalizer. All together, this song paints a...