My boyfriend asked me the other day if I was reading a book about Elvis. "Um...not exactly," was my reply. The truth is, I didn't know for sure how to explain why Elvis graced the cover of The Baccae because I still thought of Dyonisis as the pudgy drunk god in "Fantasia". But Dyonisis, the god usually associated with wine and parties, is also the patron god of Drama and thus performance. He drives thebian women crazy, sending them into a frenzie which Pentheus fears to be an orgie. He is the god of fun but he has a dark side as well, as seen when he sends the young king to his death by the hands of his mother.
So, to connect the dots, Elvis - the celebrated hearthrob of the fifties, who's title is The King of Rock and Roll - died on the toilette after gaining weight and wearing gold jump suits. Definately a dark side. And who could drive young girls crazy? Elvis Presley. I'm sure that my grandmother still harbors a secret, undying love for him. But the most common defining attribute is that Elvis was a performer. (I should say, "is"...but I'll get to that in a moment) The public knew him only as a performer, as the heart throb, the rebel rocker, The King. And even though some people can name his parents and have seen his birthplace and been to his museum, Elvis, who he really was, is unknown to the public...even if the public crowned him.
But the most important connection...I'll call it the real connection...is that Dyonisis is also Adonis. An Adonis is a beautiful young man who dies a horribly tragic premature death. Examples are James Dean (*sigh*), Elvis, Steve McQueen, Jim Morrison, etc.
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