There’s a new god in town and his name is Dionysos! Or is it Bakkhos? Bromios? Iakkhos? Euios? The answer is, all of the above!! This multi-named deity has come to the city of Thebes from ancient Turkey to spread the good news of wine, dancing, mountaintop retreats, and ecstatic rituals. The story has it that Dionysos is the son of Semele, daughter of Kadmos, and the all-mighty Zeus himself. Semele is laid to rest just outside Thebes after she foolishly asked for Zeus to present himself in his divine form, killing her instantly. They call Dionysos ‘Twiceborn’ because after Semele’s death, Zeus sewed her baby into his thigh with a golden thread to allow him to finish gestating.

 

Once Dionysos appears in Thebes it becomes clear that his primary disciples are women, who have abandoned their domestic duties for the nearby summit of Mt. Kithairon to consecrate it with Dionysian Mysteries. Even the heroic founder of Thebes, Kadmos, and the all-knowing seer Teiresias are going to show their allegiance to this new divine figure. But the new king of Thebes, Pentheus, son of Agave and grandson of Kadmos, is having none of it! Where others see harmless good time, Pentheus sees chaos and idolatry to a false god.

 

What will happen when Dionysos and Pentheus inevitably face off? Surely Pentheus stands no chance against a fully-fledged god, even if they are cousins. After duping Pentheus into thinking that he has imprisoned the god, Dionysos burns the royal stable to the ground in a show of unbridled divine power. But this is not what convinces Pentheus. Instead Dionysos convinces Pentheus that before stopping the worshippers, he should see them in their revels first. Dionysos dresses Pentheus as one of the female worshippers; Pentheus then hikes up Mt. Kithairon and climbs into a tree to spy on the unsuspecting women. Dionysos intentionally blows Pentheus’ cover and the votive mob turns violent, tearing down the tree and brutally eviscerating the young king. 

 

His mother Agave, still under the influence of an ecstatic stupor, holds the head of her fallen son, believing it to be a victorious trophy from a felled mountain lion. She returns to the city, only to sober up and share in her immeasurable grief with her father, Kadmos. Thebes has learned to respect Dionysos and Agave must wander the earth as an exile while everyone else is left to pick up the pieces.

 

The End