The Greek Elvis

            I grew up in a house very familiar with the name and image of Elvis Presley. My mom prides herself in a signed photograph of Elvis that resides, to my dismay, framed in our living room. She meticulously picked out the furniture to match the color scheme in the picture. Did I mention that the picture is a whopping five feet tall?? Crazy. I know. Upon discovering that the play I was about to read includes Elvis’ image on the cover, my curiosity understandably blossomed. The playwright Euripides composed the play, The Bacchae. The play’s plot references the Greek god, Dionysus, and his effort to spread his religion to the Greek city of Thebes, where his divinity remains adamantly rejected. While reading the text, it became very clear to me why Elvis’ face graces the cover page. Dionysus possesses many qualities that are similar to those of Elvis Presley.

           Dionysus’ persona easily falls under Casanova, not unlike his suave counterpart Elvis. When Pentheus, the king of Thebes, hears about Dionysus, Pentheus exclaims, “These women of ours have left their homes / and run away to the mountains … / … Dionysus, whoever that is; they’re dancing for him” (217-220)! The women abandoned their city and men in pursuit of Dionysus, and they seemed to be amusing Dionysus with dance too. One can imagine that the men were not overly thrilled with making their own dinner. This sounds all too familiar to what occurred with the women who were struck by Elvis’ charm. When Elvis performed, women would flock from their homes to dance in the concert crowd in utter admiration for Elvis. Comparatively, the men were not too enthused with these events. The similarities between Dionysus and Elvis do not stop there.

           Dionysus’ dance style edges on unnatural, comparable with the atypical dance moves of Elvis. There are many instances within the play where the women of Dionysus are described as being frenzied in a peculiar type of dance. One example from the text illustrating one of the women dancing states, “She strains, she races, whirls and prances / on meadows by rivers, delighting / in the absence of men …” (873-875). This kind of dancing was unlike any dancing that the city of Thebes had witnessed. The men even regarded the dancing as provocative and inappropriate, but the women were enthralled with it. Likewise, Elvis brought a new dance to the scene. His dance moves were characterized by moving his hips. In the mid-1900s, placing your dancing emphasis on your hips was considered wildly improper, especially by the men. However, as you may know, the ladies were highly obsessed.

           Clearly, Dionysus exhibits many characteristics comparable to Elvis Presley. The fact that they are both notorious for exuberant women and unique dances are only a few of their similarities. At the conclusion of the play, I found that I had a crystal-clear picture of Dionysus’ character. Just picture the Greek Elvis. Switch Elvis’ classic white, star-studded jumpsuit for a white, belted toga, and there you have it! I wonder if I painted a picture of a Greek Elvis if my mom would frame it and put it in the dining room? I figure she would as long as it is five feet tall and matches the table set. I will get back to you on that one.