Authoritatively translated by scholar and academic Gilbert Murray, this
edition of Bacchae by Euripides is of high quality, allowing the reader
ease of interpretation. Famously premiered at the Theatre of Dionysus in
405 B.C., this play is concerned with displaying two sides of human
nature. One side is embodied by Pentheus - the King of Thebes - who
employs reason, logic and forethought in his behaviour. The impulsive
and rash side to man, operating on hunches and instinct, finds its
embodiment in Dionysus. With this as his basis, Euripides offers us a
tragic plotline which explores the connections between man and beast in
highlighting that completely ignoring Dionysus' approach is perilous,
for its denies the soul a kind of spiritualism which all living beings
experience and live among.