Knowledge In Oedipus Rex, The Bacchae

The theme of knowledge is one that is seen throughout Oedipus Rex, The Bacchae, and Thyestes. These Greek plays use epistemology as a sounding board for each protagonist in their own way. In Greek mythology Apollo and Dionysus are both sons of Zeus. Apollo is the god of many things including light and knowledge, he appeals to purity and logic. Dionysus is the god of intoxication and madness, he appeals to instinct and emotion. These two gods are in direct opposition to each other. While these two are opposites, they also go hand in hand with these plays. Knowledge is not always the answer when considering a Greek tragedy, meaning Apollo is not always the better god. The gods are in control and often these characters are fated to a certain future, their knowledge cannot change this. Knowing can get a character into just as much trouble as not knowing. I will argue that in these three plays knowledge means nothing, in the fact that being knowledgeable does not necessary mean you will be triumphant in the end, when your fate has already been decided for you.

Euripides calls into question the meaning of wisdom. Dionysus and Pentheus’ grandfather’s friend Tiresias, call his wisdom into question when they accuse him of being a fool for not worshiping the god of intoxication. Yet, he had enough wisdom to be in control of the city. Euripides tells us, knowledge is not wisdom: cleverness is not, not wisdom without awareness of our death, not without recalling just how brief our flare is. Pentheus goes wrong when he doesn’t realize his limits. In The Bacchae we are informed that to be wise is to be aware of our own mortality. Pentheus couldn’t recognize that another being might have more power than he, and it resulted in his untimely death. The wisdom he did poses made no difference in the end because the gods are more powerful. His knowledge meant nothing in the