에우리피데스의 『바코이』에 나타난 애매성의 해결을 위한 제의적 관점

Abstract

Bacchae, the tragedy of Euripides, has been discussed frequently because of its ambiguity in dealing with Dionysus' punishment toward Pantheus in the view of morality. As a tragic hero, Pantheus has no spiritual recognition, so that he seems to degenerate into a weak victim. Also, his policy toward Dionysus cannot be thought to be extreme as he, the king of Thebe, is responsible for protecting his polis politically and morally. Dionysus influences the women of the city absolutely with incomparable attraction. Thus, they come out of their homes and enjoy freedom in the mountain by doing the ritual of Dionysus. In this sense, Pantheus's death can be evaluated as inappropriate punishment in regard to his impiety. As well, Euripides shows another ambiguity by describing the destruction of the house of Cadmus. Looking at their hopeless state, audience feel great sympathy toward them and the extremity of Dionysus' punishment. Then we need a alternative viewpoint to interpret this work by applying this work to Dionysian ritual. In this view of Dionysus, the divinity is the harmony or integration of animality and humanity. However, Pantheus forces the citizen to evade bestiality as immoral area, which can distort the humanity of the citizens. The repression of bestiality can lead the women to search for the restoration of abnormal humanity. Euripides describes the process of initiation of Pantheus into a pseudo-bacchae by wearing the robe of Bacchae under the strategy of Dionysus. In this Dionysian viewpoint, Patheus experiences short awakening of totaltity in which animality and humanity are harmonized divinely. In this sense, the death of Pantheus must be understood in the context of Dionysian ritual, not moralistic value of tragedy.