What Is More Powerful Than A Mother’s Love?
Dionysus is, indeed, a very powerful god. He can manipulate anything and control anyone and any situation. He controls all of the women and makes them do unthinkable things. He manipulates the king to walk right into his own downfall. Dionysus does all of this to prove his own power and to bring glory to himself. However, can Dionysus overpower a mother?
Dionysus made mothers leave their newborn children. The text says, “These were the ones who had just given birth,/ and their breasts were swollen, their babies left behind.” (701-702) If a woman is still breastfeeding, then she would have given birth very recently. No new mother, in her right mind, would leave her child. These women were depriving their child of food and nurture. Also during this time the father was not very involved in childcare, so the women were leaving their children with no one to properly care for them. This shows how strong Dionysus’s manipulative power truly is.
He also made mothers nurse an animal rather than tend to their own children. The text says, “Some cradled young gazelles or wolf cubs,/ and gave white milk for them to suck.” (699-700) Not only are the mothers abandoning their children, they are caring for animals the way they would their own children. It is unnatural to even care for a child that is not your own, let alone a wild animal. This act of nurture could still show their feminine, motherly instinct. They have just given birth and the natural thing to do for them would be to nurse their child. Since they have been separated, Dionysus could have persuaded them to do this to distract them from missing their own children. It could also serve as a health benefit since mothers have to get rid of their excess milk, Dionysus was taking care of them and helping them get rid of the milk. He did look after the health of the women since he wanted them to stay there for a long period of time. He made sure they had food and drink. The text says, “One took her thyrsus, struck a rock,/ and water leapt out, pure as dew./” (704-705) The women were not just given the bare minimum, they had some luxuries. “Another set her staff in solid ground/ and the god sent her a fountain of wine./ If anyone was thirsty for a drink of milk/ she scrambled her sharp fingers in the earth/ and it came, spurting white. Sweet streams of honey/ too came dripping from the ivy-covered wands./” (706-712)
FInally, Dionysus made a mother not even recognize her own son. Agave was the mother of the king, Pentheus. Pentheus was manipulated by Dionysus to dress as a woman and go up the mountain to see the women. Dionysus prophesied his death would be at the hands of his mother, and he knew that he was leading Pentheus to his own death. Pentheus dressed up as a woman and went up to the woman to see for himself the horrific events he was warned of. Once Pentheus reached the top of the mountain, he was spotted by the women, most importantly, his mother. They hunted him down like an animal. Pentheus cried out to his mother, begging her to see that it is him. “He reached out to her cheek, miserable Agave’s,/ and said, ‘I am yours, Mother, your child of Pentheus./ You gave me birth in the house of Echion./ Pity me, Mother. I have made mistakes./ But do not kill your own son because of them./” (1117-1121) She was blind to his cries. The text says that she was possessed and did not believe him. After Pentheus’ relentless cries for help, the women ripped him apart. His killing was savage and heartless. The text says, “They tossed Pentheus’ meat like balls in a game of catch.” (1136-1137) The poor Agave came to flaunt her kill. She thought that she was flaunting the head of a lion that she had killed. She was ecstatic to show her son and make him proud of her. Shortly following, she looked down and her eyes were opened to the truth. Agave was heartbroken to see the reality sitting in her hands right in front of her.
Dionysus came to flaunt his powers and prove his importance as a god. He succeeded in proving his strength. He brought a king to his downfall and made an entire town of women lose their minds. Mothers not only left their children behind and neglected them, a mother took the life of her own child without even realizes it is hers. What is stronger than a mother’s love? The god of manipulation is stronger.
Works Cited
Euripides. Bacchae. Translated by Paul Woodruff, Hackett Publishing, 1999.
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