15. In "Bacchae", the god Dionysus punishes king Pentheus for not worshiping him in a horrible way, having him killed by his own mother. Who was she?
From Quiz Towards the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus
Answer:
Agave
The play starts with Dionysus telling the story of his birth: that his mother, Semele, had fallen in love with Zeus and become pregnant. Hera, Zeus' wife, jealous of Semele, persuades her to ask Zeus appear to her with all his brightness and powers. He appears in a lighting bolt, killing the young woman, but the embryo Dionysus is saved and placed in his father's thigh. Semele's family refuses to acknowledge the story and Dionysus comes to Thebes to establish his cult.
The women of the city, including Semele's sisters, are fascinated by Dionysus' rituals and follow him. Pentheus, the son of Agave and nephew of Semele, outlaws the practice of such feasts, saying that everybody worshipping Dionysus will be punished. Pentheus' soldiers bring before him Dionysus himself, disguised as a priest. He orders Dionysus imprisoned, but the latter escapes and wreaks havoc in the city as leader of the Menades, fanatical women that possess superhuman strength.
Pentheus sends his soldiers to capture the women, but they are able to thwart all of those attempts. Dionysus appears before Pentheus and convinces him to dress up as a woman and see the Menades. Pentheus acts accordingly, and Dionysus directs his followers to attack him. Pentheus' own mother, Agave, beheads him and carries his head as a trophy into the city, thinking it's the head of a lion. When Dionysus' power wears off, she realizes what she has done. Alongside her sisters, she is exiled.