Make Thebes Great Again: The Bacchae of Euripides in the Age of Trump

Courtney J.P. Friesen

doi:10.1007/s12115-021-00656-x

Make Thebes Great Again: The Bacchae of Euripides in the Age of Trump

Courtney J.P. Friesen

Religious Studies and Classics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This study analyzes how two recent productions of the Bacchae in the USA—by the SITI Company and the Classical Theatre of Harlem—activated Euripidean themes that confront the politics and rhetoric of Donald Trump. Through various interventions and adaptations, the ancient tragedy yields contemporary resonances: patriarchal control and authoritarianism are constructed and sustained by manufacturing threats posed by marauding bands of foreigners, even as the haunting denouement reveals that the most destructive perils reside within. In the drama as in Trump’s ascendency, political domination is pursued through performances that reorient illusion and reality.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	516-528
Number of pages	13
Journal	Society
Volume	59
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-021-00656-x
State	Published - Oct 2022

Keywords

Dionysus
Donald Trump
Euripides’ Bacchae
Performance
Tragedy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sociology and Political Science
General Social Sciences

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10.1007/s12115-021-00656-x

Cite this

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Make Thebes Great Again: The Bacchae of Euripides in the Age of Trump

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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