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imaginatively recreates the plot and dramatization into his own individual production.
Euripides reverts to earlier forms and structures of Greek drama in his
constructio n of the Baccnae, for example, the Chorus is given a prominent position in
the drama. The Chorus haslong choral odes that mark distinct divisions in the action
of the play. As the true worshippen of Dionysos, the all-female Chorus honour their
god , reinforce the myths and respood to the various actions in the drama. They are the
focal point of reference. permanently on stage, drawin g attention to the wisdom of the
gods and particul ar ly the divinity of Dionysos. Althoug h it is not clear to what extent
Euripides mirrors the activities of the Dionysian cult, he makes use of several ancient
and contemporary myths and stories regarding Dionysos' existence and position in the
Greek: cosmology . 14
In Gree k mytho logy , Dionysos is the only Olympian god who has a divine
father. Zeus. and mortal mother. Semele. Although Dionysos has attributes that
associate him with early chtho nic deities , WSaddition to the Olympian pantheon as one
of the twelve came later when Pisi.slr.atos added him in Hestia 's place and introduced
the Dionysian Festival as a state celebration. IS Explanations of the gods' origins and
histories play an important part in the developmen t of Greek mythology. Homer 's
Iliad has the origin of the gods as Oceanus and Tethys (XIV .201) and Hesiod 's (c.700
B.C .) Theogorry gives the earliest surviving accoun t of a systematic genealogy of the
gods, the creatio n of the universe and mankind . The Theogorryexplains that in the
beginning there was Chaos. Chaos brought Gaea. (Gaia) or Ge, Mother Earth , into
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