The Greek tragedy "The Bacchae" was written by the Athenian playwright Euripides, one of the three great playwrights of classical Greek tragedy. "The Bacchae" were first presented in 405 B.C., a year after his death, and are considered by many to be his masterpiece.

In "The Bacchae," the god Dionysus arrives in Greece from Asia with the aim of introducing his Dionysian worship. He is disguised as a young priest from Asia and is accompanied by his female followers, who make up the chorus of the play. He hopes to be accepted first in Thebes, but the Thebans reject his divine essence and refuse to worship him, while Pentheus, the young king of the city, attempts to capture him.

In the end, Dionysus drives Pentheus mad and leads him to the mountains, where Agave, Pentheus's mother, and the women of Thebes, in a Dionysian frenzy, tear him to pieces.