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Self-Knowledge
in the Bacchae Euripides presents in this work what seems at first to be a negative view of self-awareness, an opposition of Apollonian principles. However, one can take exactly the opposite meaning from this story as well. Like the Greeks, the Taoists of ancient China saw the world as a place of seemingly opposing forces: Yin and Yang. They claimed, however, that these forces are not opposing at all, that they are, in fact, the same thing. It seems that as Professor Staley said in class, this is true of the Greeks. This play illustrates the necessity of one extreme for the other. Like the depiction of Yin and Yang as opposite sides of a coin, what seems to be the case is only what side of the coin you are looking at; if you flip it over, you’ll find that the opposite side was lying beneath it the whole time. With this in mind, it seems that the side of the coin which is up in this case is that pointing to the dangers of Dionysian excess. Pentheus himself is guilty of this within his first speeches. He becomes enraged and impassioned about the actions of the women of his city, of his grandfather, and of the prophet Teiresias. Needless to point out is that it is Pentheus’ final yielding to these passions and instincts that lead to his death. Teiresias, on the other hand, is cool-headed in his approach to the new god: he recognizes him as an Olympian, and as such worthy of worship. Teiresias is rewarded for this behavior. He is never hassled by Dionysus, and is presumably is left out of the action, because he isn’t involved with tragedy which ends it. This interpretation leads to contradictions, however. If Teiresias is meant to represent Apollonian sentience, why is he dressed in animal hide and why does he wish to go frolic with Cadmus? Clearly, he cannot be faking his interest in Dionysian ideas, for we see what happens to those who do so. Cadmus’ greed for family pride, which he attempts to feed by claiming to be related to a god in which he does not necessarily believe, is punished by familial shame in the action of his daughter. What then does Teiresias represent, if he uses Apollonian wisdom but revels in Dionysian freedom? Teiresias is the only mortal main character who escapes tragedy. Their must be something unique in his character which saves him. It is the balance of the Apollonian and Dionysian principles which he has attained, the willful mastery of both parts of human nature. Teiresias is Jung’s ideal individualized man, having accepted and assimilated all parts of his person. He is also the Taoist liver of Wu Wei, the man who does without seeming to do, the man who represents both Yin and Yang simultaneously. He is the Greek sentence which professor Staley mentioned, representing both on the one hand and on the other hand. Euripides then advocates self-knowledge, but only total self-knowledge. It is not safe to be like Pentheus and be aware only of reason in man’s nature, as he is in the beginning. Nor is it safe to be aware only of the furious passionate side of man, as Agave is while she romps as a Maenad. It is the balance of both, the willful turning of the coin, that Euripides advocates top – discuss – essays
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All original material © 2003 Erika Salomon.
