Dionysus, Pentheus, and Agave
Dionysus, Pentheus, and Agave
In a Nutshell
To party, or not to party? That is the question. Well, it's the question of this wild and crazy myth anyway. When Dionysus, god of wine and revelry, tries to get the folks of Thebes to join his hard-partying cult, the party-pooping King Pentheus is not having it. The battle between those who want to let loose, and those who want to mind their P's and Q's is on.
So yeah, maybe this story is super old, but there's no doubt this same fight still goes on these days. Just ask any kid who's ever been busted for having a house party while his or her parents were out of town. We guarantee the conversation/stern lecture that happens when they inevitably get busted is pretty darn similar to the basic argument of this myth:
Parent: You broke every rule I ever laid down by doing this!
Kid: You're too strict. Rules suck.
Parent: Rules keep you safe!
Kid: Lighten up.
Parent: Lighten up?! You burnt down the garage!
Kid: I was mad stressed, okay? You never let me do anything. Yeah, it got out of control, but I really needed to have some fun.
As you can probably guess, Dionysus and Pentheus would be on opposite sides of this dispute. Dionysus would say that party-pooping parents are way too strict, and they ought to let their kids throw ragers whenever they feel like it. King Pentheus would say kids should stay locked up in their room eating Brussels sprouts all day.
The story of Dionysus, Pentheus, and Agave shows that either of these extremes is a pretty bad idea. If people never have a chance to blow off some steam, eventually they'll explode. But if people spend all their time blowing off steam, their lives will get seriously out of control. Like with most things, the answer is in the middle.
Shmoop Connections
Explore the ways this myth connects with the world and with other topics on Shmoop
Rebel playwright Euripides rocks out the definitive version of the myth in his grisly tragedy, The Bacchae.Ovid can't keep his Roman hands off this story in his mega-influential, mega-awesome collection of myth-y poems, The Metamorphoses.
Can't get enough Dionysus? Check him out as the irritable Mr. D, director of Camp Half-Blood in the Percy Jackson series.
Ernest Hemingway was not a stranger to the benefits and dangers of the god of wine. Don't believe us? Just check out his novel, A Farewell to Arms.