PENTHEUS

Pentheus(king of Thebes) becomes important as a figurehead in the story  Bacchae written by Euripides. After Pentheus has taken control of Thebes, he denies Dionysus(god of wine) his ritual, because he does not see Dionysus as a divinity. This ritual has become so prominent that it is also viewed as a cult and is forbidden by the king. Pentheus begins placing the women of the cult in jail to prevent further rituals, but finds many have climbed the mountains near Thebes to continue the ritual. He enters the woods to find the ritual which is taking place and begins to investigate the meaning of it. He is said to have climbed a tree to get a better view of the ritual and is spotted by the members of the cult. These members, being drunk on wine, pull him from the tree and brutally rip him into pieces.