Euripides Bacchantes (Classic Reprint)

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Excerpt from Euripides Bacchantes The Bacchantes of Euripides represents the con¿ict between a ¿ippant scepticism, blinding itself with persistent folly, and a newly-revealed faith, or rather, religious faith in general, for, while the Dionysiac worship, which is the immediate object of the con¿ict, is a new worship, it is plain that the poet takes the oppo sition to it as but an instance of the refusal of an arrogant ration alism to recognize the supernatural in general, whether in the ancestral faith or in a new worship. The play is aimed at the sceptical side of the Sophistic movement and kindred tendencies of society at the time. Both the outcome of the action, and the choral odes, which are to be regarded as interpreting the action, Show unmistakably that the poet meant to recommend the accep tance of the national faith and traditions as the only ground of a contented and happy life, and to exhibit the mischief of an unsound and irreligious philosophy. These facts give to the sub jcet and its treatment by Euripides an interest for all time. The relation of such views to those of the poet's earlier works is a question which lies beyond the sphere of this Introduction, as is also any inquiry into the propriety of combining an ethical and an aesthetic motive in the treatment of the subject. The play is one of the poet's last works, it, however, reveals no trace of the weakness of age. Defects there are in the execution of details, as in the other works of Euripides. But, in poetic power in general, the Bacchantes is superior to many, perhaps we may say to any, of the poet's earlier plays. Besides the subject-matter itself, especiallv interesting features of the play are the skilfully, though simply, constructed plot, the splendid choral odes, expressing the one theme of pious devotion in varving forms following the develop ment of the action, the brilliant pieces of narration in the Mes sengers' speeches, and the striking situation in every scene. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.