Concepts of ecstasy in Euripides’ “Bacchanals” and their interpretation
Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis January 16, 2019 Lilian Portefaix
Euripides' 'Bacchanals' is a key ancient source for understanding ecstatic experience in antiquity, supplemented by vase paintings of Dionysian themes. The play portrays ecstasy through psychological phenomena including optical, acoustic, and olfactory hallucinations, anesthesia, delusions of superhuman strength, and possession. How this depiction is interpreted depends on one's view of religion and its function.