The Bacchae is one of the last works of Euripides; it was discovered along with two other plays after his death in the winter of 407/406 B.C. and when it was later presented in Athens by his son, it won the first prize.

Few works have been discussed as much or have become the subject of such meticulous and careful linguistic study. This edition of Dodds' classical commentary provides the reader with an invaluable Introduction to the work and its theme.

In the Introduction, Dodds discusses the complex nature of Dionysian worship and its place in Athens, examining traditional elements contained in the work, its position within Euripides' output, and the sources of the text.

An appendix provides several additional excerpts from the Bacchae that were discovered after the publication of the first edition of the Commentary.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]