Euripides' Bacchae: Translation, Introduction and Notes (Focus Classical Library)
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Premium Content Matricide and Cross-Dressing: Gender Clash in Greek Justice

By Michael Jin - October 31, 2004

When two men confront similar situations and meet distinct fates, the perennial question emerges. Why does Orestes in Aeschylus' The Eumenides win redemption, and Pentheus in Euripides' The Bacchae die ignobly? Both address the same moral dilemma between condoning retributive justice and upholding social order. Both men witness women aggressing and…

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