The gods' roles in relation to humans are similar in both The Bacchae and Hippolytus, but those plays differ from the gods' roles in Oedipus Rex. In both The Bacchae and Hippolytus, the opening monologue is a god, within the city, discussing their plans for the protagonist, Pentheus and Hippolytus, respectively. In The Bacchae, Dionysus opens the play, stating "I am Dionysus, the son of Zeus..." (ll.1). He continues his monologue, discussing his anger towards Thebes because the Thebans refused to worship him. He tells the audience his plans for Pentheus, the one who "revolts against divinity, in me...forgets my name in his prayers" (ll. 45-47). Dionysus is upset because the Thebans disregard him as ungodly and refuse to acknowledge his divinity. Similarly, Aphrodite is upset with Hippolytus for disregarding her goddess status. While Hippolytus doesn't dispute her godliness, he refuses to worship her. Aphrodite opens Hippolytus, much like Dionysus opens The Bacchae, by stating her name and cause for being among the mortals. She says "I am the Goddess Cypris...[and] Hippolytus... declares that I am the very vilest of divinities. He spurns love and will have nothing to do with sex" (p. 67). Hippolytus chooses to worship Artemis instead of Aphrodite, and so Aphrodite must come down from Olympus and punish him. This direct contact between gods and mortals does not occur in Oedipus Rex. Instead, the gods are seen as omnipotent forces whose divinity should not be questioned nor denied. The gods never make direct contact with the mortals; they speak through oracles or prophets. Oedipus sends people to ask the oracle of Apollo what he should do to save Thebes from the plague and he asks Tiresias, the prophet, whom he should punish. Never in Oedipus Rex does Oedipus or any of the characters speak directly with one of the gods. In fact, the reason why Pentheus or Hippolytus is able to ...