In class on Wednesday, it was brought to our attention what it means to be part of “the chorus” in “The Bacchae” and what those girls would look, act, and sound like at that point in time. It is an interesting thought to decipher how the group of the chorus girls were seen at the time that the play was written viruses in the twenty-first century as the play being read and reproduced. It is interesting to discuss is the idea of the modern day “chorus” and how they might be seen in today’s society. Throughout the play, the chorus are seen singing and dancing in recognition of Dionysus, while telling stories about his life. This reminds me of the cult-like following that celebrities have in today’s society. While they sometimes are not seen in the best light, these obsessive followings for celebrities like Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, or even groups like One Direction are common and actually pretty normal to see in today’s world. Throughout social media, magazines, and television, it is hard to go through even one day without seeing one of these celebrities’ pop up on your phone and hearing their name come up in conversation.
What is important to look at is how we as a society can look at the chorus in “The Bacchae” and how this is similar or different to the “chorus” you might see today and how that might change your opinion while reading the play. From my own perspective this chorus does not seem so bad. Though they might be obsessive, they also seem like a modern day following. Though from the perspective of Pentheus, they are a group that is being controlled by a god that Pentheus does not even believe in. This idea also raises the question if there are other points that the play is trying to allude to that we are just missing because our idea on what is normal and right has shifted so much over time that we no longer can make a common point to what was written so long ago. The way to accurately look at a play would be to first look up what life was like when the play was written and produced, so confusion like this does not occur.