“This god too hath prophetic power, for there is no small prophecy inspired by Bacchic frenzy; for whenever the god in his full might enters the human frame, he makes his frantic votaries foretell the future.”
~ ‘The Bacchantes’ by Euripides (Edward P. Coleridge translation. GB5 - p. 342)
Dionysus, a god, has come to the land of Thebes in human form. He is the son of Zeus and Semele, daughter of Cadmus. He praises Cadmus for having kept the place where his mother was killed sacred. He has arrived here after traveling through a lot of places in Asia and Thebes is the first Greek city he has come to. He says his mother’s sisters had disowned her, saying that she had a child illicitly and tried to foist it on Zeus, and Zeus’ lightning killed her. But in truth, Semele was killed by Zeus’ lightning because she had asked Zeus to reveal himself. Dionysus punishes his mother’s sisters by causing a frenzy in their minds, which drives them out of their homes and into the hills. He wants to clear his mother’s name and wants to prove to the people in the city that he, the child born to Semele, is a diety that they should worship. He also says that the current rule of Thebes, Pentheus, Cadmus’ grandson, his first cousin, does not acknowledge his divinity.
The Chorus enters and gives more details about Dionysus. He was born prematurely when his mother died, and Zeus had hidden the baby in his thigh and fastened it with golden pins to hide from Hera. Elderly Cadmus and Teiresias enter and say that despite their old age, they should go to the hills and join the women in dance to honor the god Dionysus. Pentheus enters and is angry with the women, including his mother and aunts, who have gone to dance in the hills. He says he will arrest anyone who worships the new god by practicing wild rituals. He sees Cadmus and Teiresias dressed up to go to the hills to join the dance and is further angered. Teiresias and then Cadmus try to calm him down and explain the power of the gods, but he gets upset, asks them to go from there and says that he will destroy Dionysus’ seat and put an end to the revelry.