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Tiresias is a common character in Greek literature. He is elderly and blind, but was granted “second sight”—the ability to make accurate prophecy—as compensation for his blindness. In The Bacchae, he warns of the importance of paying tribute to the gods and is dressed up in Dionysian garb during his one appearance in the play. Pentheus fails to heed his warning, thereby making Tiresias’ prediction of tragedy come true.
Tiresias Quotes in The Bacchae
The The Bacchae quotes below are all either spoken by Tiresias or refer to Tiresias. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Lines 169 - 519 Quotes
CADMUS
Are we the only men who'll dance for Dionysus?
TIRESIAS
The rest are blind. Only we can see.
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The audience doesn’t learn much about the attitudes of the men of Thebes, apart from Cadmus, Tiresias, and Pentheus. Cadmus (the previous king) and Tiresias (a prophet) are clearly willing to pay tribute to Dionysus—in this early exchange, they’re both dressed in Dionysian outfits and are about to leave for Mount Cithaeron, where the rituals take place. An important undertone here, which wouldn’t have been lost on Greek audiences at the time, is that Tiresias is a blind prophet (also the result of some god-related turmoil). Despite being a mortal, he has the gift of “second sight”—an ability to see Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollit
And here's another miracle! The prophet Tiresias
all got up in fawn skin, and my mother's father
dressed up as a Bacchant with a wand.
You look ridiculous, both of you: have you lost your wits?
I'm ashamed of you, Grandfather.
Shake off that ivy and drop that bloody stick!
This is your doing, Tiresias, I can tell:
another imported god, another chance
to make money on the side from burnt offerings
and reading auguries from the guts of birds.
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Here, Pentheus notices his grandfather, Cadmus (the previous king of Thebes), and Tiresias, the blind prophet, dressed in Dionysian garbs. Pentheus is being patently cynical and ironic by calling them a “miracle,” and again is preoccupied with the phallic symbol (the thyrsus). This also sets up the question of irrationality and madness that runs throughout the play. Pentheus sees the two elderly men as mad for indulging in Dionysian rituals, especially given their age. As the play continues, the alternative viewpoint emerges—that Pentheus himself is the mad one, both for trying to deny Dionysus and for wanting to spy on Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. No
The new god you ridicule will be a great Power in Greece.
Let me explain, young man, the two blessings of human life.
Firstly Demeter, Mother Earth – call her what you will –
sustains us mortals with the gift of grain, of solid food.
But he who came next – son of Semele – matched
her gift to man: he brought us wine.
And wine brought peace to the troubled mind,
gave an end to grief and gave us sleep – blessed sleep –
a forgetting of our sadnesses.
He, a god himself is poured out in honor of the gods.
Through that holy wine we win their favor.
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This is Tiresias’ reply to King Pentheus’ barrage of derogatory criticism, and it provides a little bit of general background information on the Greek gods more generally. Demeter is the goddess of grain, agriculture, harvest, growth, and nourishment; Tiresias sees Dionysus as being almost as important. It’s interesting how Tiresias views Dionysus’ “gift” of wine as something uniformly beneficial to mankind. Firstly, most people would agree that relentless overindulgence in alcohol doesn’t lead to a balanced or healthy life; secondly, Tiresias seems a little too trusting of Dionysus’ intentions. Perhaps, as a god so keen to disrupt the status quo Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequu
As for the women, it is not for the god to enforce chastity.
Dionysus releases their true nature. Even plunged in delirium,
a virtuous soul does not turn vile.
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Tiresias continues to defend Dionysus, offering up the reasoning behind the Bacchae’s sexually liberated behavior. Tiresias implies that the Dionysian rites and rituals are not wholly irrational; instead, they offer a way for mortals to embrace their “true nature.” Tiresias thinks that it’s not Dionysus’ place to “enforce chastity,” but it seems that Dionysus actually enforces promiscuity—an idea that challenges Tiresias’ notion of the “true nature.” Tiresias’ words also add depth to the events near the end of the play—when Agave kills her own son, Pentheus, is she under Dionysus’ duress, or is it just her “true self” behaving in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium
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Tiresias Character Timeline in The Bacchae
The timeline below shows where the character Tiresias appears in The Bacchae. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Lines 169 - 519
Tiresias, the elderly blind prophet, enters dressed as a Dionysian follower. He calls to Cadmus to...
(full context)
Pentheus notices Cadmus and Tiresias and their Dionysian attire. He mocks them, and tells Cadmus he is ashamed of him....
(full context)
Tiresias argues in Dionysus’ favor, saying the god will be a great power in Greece. He...
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Pentheus rejects Cadmus and Tiresias’ arguments, ordering his servants to capture the priest—actually Dionysus in disguise—who is leading the women...
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