Revenge in Electra, The Bacchae and Frankenstein In today's world, revenge still exists, simmering beneath our calm facade, awaiting the catalyst of he needs to unleash himself. The proof can be seen right now in the reactions of the American people to Bin Laden. He destroyed so many lives and now there is probably not a single American who wouldn't like to spend a minute alone with him. The American people want to hurt him the same way he and his followers hurt their fellow Americans, their family. This hunger for revenge is completely Dionysian and is found in more than one written work. Electra is saturated with the Dionysian quest for revenge that also prevails in the Bacchae. We find it in Frankenstein, a work full of vengeful deaths. This Dionysian quest for revenge is pursued against family offenders, whether they belong to the family in question or not. Dionysus, a member of Cadmus' family, causes the death of his cousin Pentheus. Pentheus makes a deadly mistake when he denies Dionysus as a god and attempts to capture him, thus invoking Dionysus' wrath. This is the same type of revenge found in Electra's family. In Electra's family, if a family crime is committed, an infinite cycle of the Dionysian principle of revenge is triggered: revenge takes over family ties, thus abandoning them. Even with Victor Frankenstein and his monster, the principle is at work, although it exists for each of them in response to the other. This principle was born in Electra's family long before her tragedies occurred. It begins with the sons of Pelops and all the fashionable adulteries and murders that occur in that branch of Electra's family history. However, this...... middle of paper......al, serves to strike at those who seek us or have harmed us, and to destroy them by any means possible. Rest assured that if any Americans are involved in the Bin Laden case, the thirst for revenge against them will be overwhelming. The Dionysian principle of revenge is still very much alive, lurking beneath the surface, waiting for the justification it needs to break free. Works Cited CK Williams, The Bacchae of Euripides (new version) New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000 Sophocles Electra New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1995 Mary Shelley, Frankenstein New York: Dover Publications Inc., 1994 "Bush Speaks From Oval Office" http://multimedia.belointeractive.com/attack/news/text0911.html"Bin Laden has nowhere to run - Nowhere to hide", madblast.comThe House of Atreus http://ancienthistory.about .com/library/weekly/aa110497 .htm