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Liminality and Duality

Liminality and duality are the two most prominent themes in the play the Bacchae.

They are also considered to be the god Dionysus two most prominent traits that stands out to

connect with the idea of wearing a mask giving him an alternate identity and to highlight

different emotions. This idea has been highlighted through various approaches in the play the

Bacchae. The liminal nature of the gods focuses on the idea of balance which in literal sense

is the dying and rising of a deity while the dualism looks at the two different personalities of

a character. The idea of wearing a mask reflects putting on a different face to hide one’s

current known persona (Segal). In the play the Bacchae, the god Dionysus and Pentheus

highlighted these two themes by putting on a mask to explore their personalities.

Dionysius encouraged Pentheus to wear a mask to allow him to explore Bacchi rites.

The act of wearing a mask was to give the two characters the courage to do as they please as

they would shift from one personality to another. Pentheus blames the god Dionysus for

making women to engage in sexual activities. Interestingly, he wears a mask to hide his

personality and joins Dionysius to spy the Bacchi rites (Foley). This leads him to his death.

This idea of wearing a mask illuminates the nature of hiding one’s true self to explore

personal pleasures or personal interests.

In addition, the act of wearing a mask empowers one to explore their desires which is

in an effort to hide one’s traits. For instance, Pentheus blames Dionysius yet he has ecstasy

desires. At same time Dionysius appears as human disguising his godly traits. His human

body is a representation of a mask he is wearing considering he is a God and in so doing he

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can explore his ecstasy desires. Their ability to hide their true identities reflect the liminal and

duality themes.
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Works Cited

Foley, Helene P. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter: Translation, Commentary, and Interpretive

Essays. Princeton University Press, 1994.

Segal, Charles. Dionysiac Poetics and Euripides’ Bacchae. Princeton University Press, 1997.