What’s Up With the Title?

Ancient Greek tragedians never got too creative with their titles. The Bacchae is named after the worshipers of Bacchus (a.k.a. Dionysus). These lovely ladies (check out our "Character Analysis" for the Bacchae) serve as the Chorus of the play, and support the protagonist, Dionysus, on his quest for punishment. We should note that sometimes translators dub the play The Bacchants or The Bacchantes, which are just other ways of saying Bacchae.