Untitled - Memorial University of Newfoundland

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44. Herodotus . History o/the Greek and Persian War, trans . George Rawlinso n (New
York: Twayne, 1963 ) records the story ofHippoclides who danced away his opportunity to marry
Agariste , the daughter of Cllsthenes, Iring of Sicyon (VI.126-lJO).
45. Just as it was outofCronus' viole nt castratio n of Uranus' genitals that Aphrod ite the
beautiful goddess of love was born, so it is out of the violence of Agave's deed that the
community will be reborn.
46. All biblical references are take from the 1975 edition of the New American Standard
Venion.
47. The aposue. John, in his Gospel refers to lesus Christ as "the Lambof GOO who takes
away the sins of the world- (1:29) . God replaced Abraham 's son wb.omhe attempted to sacrifice
with a lamb, fores hadowing the sacrifici al deadl of God 's son, the perfect lamb , on the cross .
(Genesis 22; d. Ro mans 8:32).
48. Obi Maduako r, Wale Soyinka: An Ituroduaion to His Writing (New York:& London :
Garland. 1986) suggests thai: Soyinka's "teserd on of the wedding scenes is superfl uous at the
critical moment when Pentbeus is beginning to submit to Dionysus and to ackno wledge the
hope lessness of his pos ition as an apostle of reason " (256). On the contrary, the scenes advance
the plot, inverse the western rituals, and prepare Pentheus and the audience fur Pentheus'
sacrificial death .
49 . An examp le of hubris in ancient Greek tragedy is in the scene in Aeschy lus' The
Oresteia in which Agamemnon returns from Troy and commits hubris by walking on the purp le
tapestry . The scene evokes connotations of Agamemnon's tt'anSfurmatio n as a sacrificial victim
as he walks right into Clyta emnestra 's net and his death .