In The Bacchae, Euripedes shows us Dionysus represents the animalistic and spiritualist life force that connects humanity to its instinctive basic roots-roots that are illogical, chaotic, and indigenous. I will be comparing Dionysus' effect on the social categories within the city of Thebes. When the people of Thebes attempt to maintain their indifference to Dionysus' claims of divinity, he came to the town personally to invoke his punishment on all those who would not worship him and causing chaos and moral destruction to all non-believers. The first example was the difference between the men and women roles within the society. Second, the elder's assumed the roles of followers; deliberately letting the younger generations guide them. The last conflict that Dionysus caused was the struggle between civilization rules versus the savage lifestyle he introduced.
             In the play, Dionysus' mind control over the women causes them to be the dominant role in society, while the men were domesticated. During Greek times the women were not given the same rights as a citizen as the men. They were expected to be tame and submissive to their male counterparts. Dionysus invokes his power allowing him to perform his miracles on the women. They leave their children and husbands at home, disregarding their domestic responsibilities, and are given the domineering power that they lacked in society. The women were seen performing "weird fantastic things, what miracles and more than miracles" while under Dionysus' control. The women strike the ground and wine springs freely for them to drink, they tear live cattle and other animals from limb from limb. The Maenads are a clear example of the "man-beast" they have become under the direction of Dionysus. They are associated with several different types of creatures- both predator & nurturer. Dionysus' control over the women possesses them t...