![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() When their roles are reversed and Pentheus is imprisoned by Dionysus, they mention hair first. He comments upon the hair several times, and when asked what he would do to his prisoner, his immediate response is: "first I shall cut off your delicate locks," to which Dionysus responds, "my long hair is sacred I am growing it for the god." This exchange proves a revelation, for while the Stranger could have been growing his hair as a promise to a god, as was common practice, his hair is long simply because he is the god himself. As Pentheus is both drawn to and disgusted by the bacchic revelry, so is he fascinated and revolted by the Stranger's looks, especially the Stranger's hair. In Greek visual art and the lyrical poetry of the time, Dionysus was commonly depicted as being graceful, with effeminate features and long, flowing hair. As the chorus sings in Interlude III: "Shall I in night-long dances ever set white foot in bacchis celebration, hurling my throat to the dewy air of heaven, like a fawn playing in the green pleasures of a meadow, when it has escaped the terrifying hunt." Hair The fawn also plays into the hunting motif, central to the play, embodying the paradigmatic quarry. In Greek lyric poetry, the fawn was the traditional symbol for playfulness. The mountain dancers strive to emulate the speed and freedom of the fawn. ![]() Fawnskins are the key garb for bacchic ritual, described as "the sacred cloak." It is the first item mentioned by both the two old men and by Pentheus when they decide to dress as bacchants. ![]()
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