The Bacchae

Main Characters and Their Development

• Dionysus: The god of wine and revelry, son of Zeus and the mortal woman Semele. At the beginning of the play, he returns to Thebes to establish his cult and punish those who do not recognize his divinity. Throughout the play, he displays both mercy and cruelty, punishing Pentheus and other non-believers.
• Pentheus: The king of Thebes, grandson of Cadmus. He refuses to acknowledge Dionysus as a god and attempts to suppress his cult. As a result of his stubbornness and disbelief, he suffers a brutal punishment, ultimately dying at the hands of his mother Agave and other Bacchae.
• Agave: Mother of Pentheus and daughter of Cadmus. She becomes one of the Bacchae and, in a state of madness, kills her own son, unaware that it is him. Later, she is horrified by her actions when she realizes what she has done.
• Cadmus: Founder and former king of Thebes, grandfather of Pentheus. He acknowledges Dionysus and tries to warn Pentheus against his disbelief, but to no avail. At the end of the play, he and his wife Harmonia are turned into serpents as punishment for their lineage.
• Tiresias: The blind prophet who also acknowledges Dionysus and tries to persuade Pentheus to accept the new god. His wise counsel goes unheeded.