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The Bacchae Second Choral Lyric Summary

  • The Chorus pleads with Thebes to save itself by honoring Dionysus. They call on Dionysus to squash Pentheus's brashness.
  • Suddenly, Dionysus' voice is heard.
  • The palace is shaken by an earthquake and lightning.
  • Dionysus appears.
  • The god asks the Chorus if they were worried when he was arrested.
  • They say yes, because they're lost without him.
  • Dionysus tells his followers that it was easy for him to escape.
  • He tells his followers that a spell was cast on Pentheus. When the King thought he was tying up Dionysus he was really tying up a bull.
  • Then the god set the stable on fire and flattened it to the ground.
  • After that, a phantom version of Dionysus appeared in courtyard. Pentheus chased the phantom around until he collapsed exhausted to the ground.