The Bacchae & The Birds in Greece

We are now preparing for 2027 and our sixth visit to the enchanting island of Agistri in the Saronic Gulf to read the classical literature of Ancient Greece. Over three week-long studies, we will study Homer’s Odyssey, Euripides’ Medea, and The Bacchae by Euripides with Aristophanes’ The Birds. Reading these extraordinary and enduring works in the midst of this land and seascape can only deepen and enrich our experience of the texts. Do take a look at our ‘Gallery’ page and below to see photos from our previous studies on the island.

Join us on Agistri to study a wonderful double bill of tragedy and comedy – The Bacchae by Euripides and The Birds by Aristophanes.

“Light the fiery torch of lightning! 
Burn it all, burn it down, burn the whole house of Pentheus!” 

Euripides, The Bacchae

The Bacchae tells the story of how Dionysus – god of wine, festivity and frenzy – takes revenge on King Pentheus of Thebes for rejecting his power. Dionysus first drives Pentheus insane then lures him to the mountains surrounding Thebes. There Pentheus’ mother and a band of Dionysus’ frenzied female followers take their bloody revenge. 

First performed in 406 BCE, The Bacchae is Euripides’ final play and was awarded first prize at the Dionysia festival posthumously.  Considered by many to be his finest work, it is revered for the beauty of its language and the complexity with which Euripides addresses the issues of faith and society. There are themes too of a struggle between ‘civilisation’ and primal instincts, as well as suppressed emotions causing a threat to society. 

Thomas Macaulay wrote: “The Bacchae is a glorious play. It is often very obscure; and I am not sure that I understand its general scope. But, as a piece of language, it is hardly equalled in the world. And, whether it was intended to encourage or to discourage fanaticism, the picture of fanatical excitement which it exhibits has never been rivalled.” 

In Ancient Greece, theatre performances moved from tragedy to comedy, shifting audiences from horror and despair to lightness and joy. Similarly, we’ll move from the high drama of The Bacchae to the satire and wit of The Birds. 

In The Birds, Aristophanes tells the story of how two Athenians, Pisthetaerus and Euelpides, leave the world of men in search of a city without pettiness and corruption to live in peace and justice. They search for Tereus, a king who has managed to change himself into a hoopoe, or so he says, and married a nightingale. Together with the birds, they establish a state in the ether and build a wall between men and the gods. The work of building their prototype community is interrupted by various Athenians keen to interfere, including a poet, a seer and a town planner. Finally, a delegation from the gods, outraged by the loss of access to their human supplicants, arrives for a final showdown. 

First performed in 414 BCE, The Birds is acclaimed for the completeness of the fantasy world created and the lyrical beauty of its depiction of the world of birds. The social satire seems as relevant to modern times as when it was written. And there are some good jokes! 

Combining a tragic and a comic play in one study allows us a fresh perspective on the elements of Ancient Greek theatre and insights into how dramatists connected with their audiences and reflected their world back to them.

We’ll be reading The Baachae from The Greek Plays: Sixteen Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides (Modern Library Classics, ISBN-10: ‎0812993004, ISBN-13: 978-0812993004) but all translations are welcome. 

We’ll be reading The Birds by Aristophanes from The Birds and Other Plays: The Knights/Peace/Wealth/The Assembly Women (Penguin Classics, ISBN-13 ‏: ‎978-0141913223) but all translations are welcome.

JOINING DETAILS:

• Seven-day study of Euripides’ The Bacchae and Aristophanes’ The Birds on the island of Agistri: Monday 17-Monday 24 May 2027
• Facilitated by Toby Brothers, Caroline Hammond and Susanna Taggart
• Cost: £950 for the Salon study, to include a preparatory meeting in April (on Zoom, date to be confirmed), background materials and opening notes. Opening notes will be sent after registration.
• The study programme will run for four to five hours per day for five days, with one day left open and travel days at each end (arriving by 17.00 local time on Day 1 and leaving by 09.00 on Day 8). There will be opportunities for other optional activities including kayaking adventures, trips to local sites, or pure relaxation.
• Before you arrive on Agistri we will ask you to read both The Bacchae and The Birds (recommended editions are given above).
• Payment: we ask for an initial (non-returnable) deposit of £100 on registration to secure your place using the booking form below. The balance of £850 will be payable by bank transfer (we will supply bank details), due by 31 January 2027.
• Refunds: please note that any refunds will be entirely at the discretion of the London Literary Salon, dependent on our ability to fill the place, and will be subject to a charge to cover our administration costs.
• Waiting list: if the study sells out early we will maintain a waiting list as we sometimes find that people have to withdraw for reasons beyond their control.

BOOKING & ENQUIRIES:

To ask questions please email us at litsalon@gmail.com using ‘Agistri 2027 – The Bacchae & Birds’ as the subject line.

ACCOMMODATION COSTS:

Room and half board (breakfast and dinner each day) will be arranged with the hotel by the individual participant and paid for directly to them. A deposit to cover accommodation for two nights will be required by the hotel on booking. We will send you full contact details for payment on registration. We have set out the anticipated charges below, but these may be subject to change at the time of booking at the discretion of the hotel.

Accommodation prices per night at the hotel – Rosy’s Little Village – are estimated below on the basis of figures available in July 2026 but may be subject to small changes:

• Single – €80 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per day
• Double – €90 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for two people – €100 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day
• Family room for three people – €110 per night plus half board (breakfast and dinner) estimated at €55 per person per day

Please consider sharing accommodation with another participant as this helps us to ensure that everyone can stay on site; double and triple rooms offer split levels and so allow sharers a significant degree of personal privacy.

OTHER ADDITIONAL COSTS TO BUDGET FOR:

Flights to Athens: when booking please make sure you can arrive at the port of Piraeus by 15.00 local time on the first day of your study to catch the ferry. We will not be meeting formally on the final day of the study, so you have choices about your return (ferries are frequent and the travel time to Piraeus is one hour) but participants normally leave Agistri at around 09.00.

Ferry to Agistri: normally around €14 each way.

Incidental expenses: drinks, lunches, extra trips etc.

Insurance: we hope this will be entirely redundant, but we ask you to arrange your own travel and health insurance to protect you in case of anything untoward happening. We will ask you for details of the insurance provider and reference number, as well as your mobile phone number and details of next of kin to add to our (confidential) records for use during the study.