Saturn Portale, “The Role of Dionysus and Greek Theater in Athenian Politics during the Peloponnesian War”
Mentor: Renee Calkins, Classics
Oral Presentation 9am Union E260

The Peloponnesian War was a time of political unrest in the polis of Athens with the uncertainty of leadership, thousands of deaths, and a loss that led to the temporary fall of democracy in Athens, as well as the typical devastation that fifteen years of war brings to a city. Greek theater played an important part in the political and religious environment of Athens, with three of the main festivals in Athens– the Greater Dionysia, Rural Dionysia, and the Lenia– being focused on theater and in honor of Dionysus, the god of theater. The Bacchae, a tragedy by Euripides (406 BCE), and The Frogs, a comedy by Aristophanes (405 BCE) both featured Dionysus as a central character and depicted him in different lights, however his use in both these plays, despite their differences, shows his connection to Athenian politics and how the Athenians perceived him. In The Frogs, Dionysus sets on a mission to the underworld to rescue the playwright Euripedes to save the polis of Athens and offers commentary on the political figures of Athens at that time. The Bacchae offers a look at Dionysus’ more godlike aspects that are worshipped in festivals that had political significance in Athens. Through looking at the depiction of Dionysus in different genres of Greek theater and his worship in the traditions at festivals dedicated to him, alongside accounts of the Peloponnesian War, and politics in Athens the connection between Dionysian worship, politics, and war can be made, as well as why Dionysus was involved in them. Furthermore, the associations between Dionysian worship and the origins of theater can explain why theater and other forms of performance art have become a common form of commentary on politics and war.