In Euripides' play The Bacchae, the ideals that formed the foundation of Greek culture were called into question. Until early 400 BCE, Athens was a society based on rational thought, individuals acting for the good of the people, and an “ideal” society. This is what scholars commonly refer to as the Hellenic era of Greek culture. However, as Athens comes under siege by Sparta, the citizens find themselves questioning the ideals they previously lived by. Euripides' play The Bacchae shows the underlying change in the ideology of the Greek people from Hellenic (or Classical) to Hellenistic; the divine character Dionysus will be the example that indicates the changing Greek ideology. In this changing Greek society, the cultural value that will experience the most dramatic change is idealism. Fleming's Arts and Ideas describes idealism as "an idea or mental image that attempts to transcend physical limitations, aspires to a fulfillment that goes beyond actual observation, and seeks a concept close to perfection" (55) . Euripides begins his play with Dionysus by describing events that have occurred up to the present day. Dionysus was a demigod, born to a human mother and Zeus; this is the first example of questioning the “ideal”. The hardest blow to the “ideal,” however, is the fact that Dionysus describes himself as a god. Dionysus repeatedly states: “(I), appearing as a god to mortal men” (ln. 42) and “I was born a god” (ln.63). These statements reflect Dionysus' ignorance of who he is and the forgotten Greek sentiment of "know thyself." It is not only the audience who recognizes that Dionysus does not have the "ideal" attitude of a god, but the reasonable characters in the play will also realize this. this by betraying the trust people had in men and gods with his stupid and reckless action against Cadmus and his family. Dionysus refuted rational thinking by letting his vengeful emotions prevent him from thinking about how a god should behave. By doing everything that Dionysus destroyed, the ideal way one would expect a god to behave. Euripides depicts a Dionysus who single-handedly destroys all the cultural values ​​of Hellenic Greece; However, Euripides is able to capture the changing values ​​of his audience and pave the way for the culture of Hellenistic Greece to begin to dominate societal thought. Works Cited Marien, Mary W. and Flemming, William. Arts and ideas. Belmont: Thomas Wadsworth, 2005. Print.Euripides. Three plays by Euripides: Alcestis, Medea, The Bacchae. 1st ed. New York: WW Norton, 1974. Print.