Untitled - Memorial University of Newfoundland

Euri pides gives enough information about Pentheus' atti tudes towards Dionysos,
woman and those in a lower class for his characterization as a tragic hero to be
understood. At the end. of the play. when rebuked by the Messe nger for rejoicing in
his master's death. the Chorus is able to say. "I a cry in ecstasy, a foreigner. in my
alien strains, for no longer do I cringe under fear of imprisonm ent " (1034- 1035) .21
The Greek myths and legends make reference to slaves: for examp le. Cadmus
served as a slave of the god. Ares . for a period of ti me. Accordin g to The World of
AIMlU. during Euripides' lifetime . the Greek population was made up of social classes
which incl uded the citizens . the mewikoi and slaves (153- 162) . lbucydides reports that
after 413 B.C . 20 ,000 slaves, mostly skilled workers. escaped to the Spartans during
the latter phase of the Peloponnesian Wax. Slaves were usedextensively in agriculture
as manual labo ur for tillin g the grou nd. planting and harvestin g; in the clay pits and
mines ; in the manufacture of implements; and in domestic services . The slaves.
wheth er dom estic or otherwise. had no rights to own property . buy land or sit at the
assemblies. In TheGruk. World , Philip de Souza asserts:
Slavery was widespread in the Greek World . but the slave trade
received little attention fro m the writers of ancient Greek literature,
partly , it seems, because they were embarrassed and offended by it.
although they were aware of its importance (18 8).
Slavery could also have been accepted as a way of life and just taken for granted . It is
not clear what Euripides ' own personal opinions were about slavery or Greece's
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imperialistic ventures ; howeve r in the Baccnae, Dionysos makes it clear that everyone,