In the “Mystery Revels” for the Feast of Eleusis at the beginning of the play, the “Old Man” who is being beaten and is to be sacrificed is

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Question context: The Mystery Revels for the Feast of Eleusis at the start of the play presents an Old Man who is being beaten and is set to be sacrificed. We must evaluate who this Old Man is among the given options.
Option 1: Kadmos. Cadmus is a central elder figure in Thebes, but historical/mythic roles in the Eleusinian rites within the play do not identify him as the beaten Old Man to be sacrificed. This choice misattributes the sacrificial victim to Cadmus, which contradicts the established identification in the scene.
Option 2: Tiresias. Tiresias, the famed blind seer, is a key character in this tragedy and is associated with ritual purification and prophecy. Within the Mystery Revels context, he is depicted in the role of the Old Man who is beaten and prepared for sacrifice, aligning with his status as an elder seer whose fate is tied to the dramatic ritual sequence.
Option 3: an old man of Pentheus’ household. While Pentheus’ household contains old figures and servants, the specific Old Man described as being beaten and slated for sacrifice is not identified as a generic household elder. The text and tradition of the scene point to a named, notable figure rather than a random elder from Pentheus’ home.
In summary, the options distinguish between recognized mythic figures (Kadmos, Tiresias) and a generic household elder. The figure described in the Mystery Revels as the Old Man being beaten and sacrificed is Tiresias, a prominent seer, rather than Kadmos or a nameless old man from Pentheus’ household.

COM LIT 60A LEC A: WOR... Reading Comprehension Quiz #9 on Soyinka, The Bacchae of Euripides. A Communion Rite

In the “Mystery Revels” for the Feast of Eleusis at the beginning of the play, the “Old Man” who is being beaten and is to be sacrificed is

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