Was anybody else just cringing as they read that section where Agaue tears Pentheus apart? Eugh. If that's not an irrational action, I don't know what is. It would've been one thing if Agaue was a mean murderous mother from the start. But when she comes back into town and wakes up from her worshiping craziness, she sorrows for what she's done. So the question is: why did she give in to this irrationality?
Let's look at it like this:
1) Agaue lived in the forest,
2) and Pentheus lived in the city.
Euripides used this theatrical framework for Agaue's irrationality because all of us can understand the difference between the two settings. We all have a shared social perception of what each is like. Thus:
1) It makes sense that Agaue took on the persona of a forest creature and became wild, violent, and rabid, even.
2) It makes sense that Pentheus from the orderly, logical city fell victim to the chaos of the wild.
This seems much more rational, right? Instead of saying, "Agaue was overcome...swept away...Dionysos...ya know," we can say, "Agaue grew into a beastly creature--and did beastly things--because her environment affected her in that way."
In my life, writing is the way that I deal with my own irrationalities. I love to write poetry that uses symbolistic themes to express emotions--things that are difficult to express otherwise. I'm currently working on a poem like this for my creative writing class. It's entitled "A Popcorn Ceiling," and in the poem I use the pieces of (you guessed it) a popcorn ceiling to represent memories of home and family. This image, in turn, helps me express the rather abstract feeling of nostalgia. The popcorn ceiling is like my "setting" that I use to help other people understand and accept my topic.
Firstly, and completely unrelated to the content of your blog, the different font is refreshing and the bold words really help with readability.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the developing setting and environment to explain the irrational. As you pointed out at the beginning if we just look at the action out of context it is completely irrational. But once the stage has been set and the plot developed it almost (heavy emphasis on almost) seems rational or at the very least understandable. The connection to writing poetry is really cool as well. I like the idea that in order for people to better understand what you are trying to express you need to create the right setting. well done!
I liked the connection you made with the city being orderly and rational, unlike the irrational forest. It reminded me of the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. In the play, the forest is depicted as an evil place where devil worship is taken place, whereas the city is where these awful acts are brought to light, and correct punishment is made. Both of these two plays show opposites especially that of rational versus irrational.
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