In Greek mythology, Pentheus was a king of Thebes. Greek mythology consists of a large collection of narratives detailing the lives and adventures of a wide variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, which were first envisioned and disseminated in an oral-poetic tradition. ... Thebes (in modern Greek: Θήβα - Thíva, in ancient Greek and Katharevousa: - Thēbai or Thívai) is a city in Greece, situated to the north of the Cithaeron range, which divides Boeotia from Attica, and on the southern edge of the Boeotian plain. ...

In Euripides' play The Bacchae, after Pentheus bans the worship of his cousin Dionysus, the god lures him into the woods, where the Maenads tear him apart. His corpse is mutilated by his own mother, Agave, who tears off his head in her Bacchic frenzy, believing it to be that of a lion. A statue of Euripides Euripides (c. ... The Bacchae (also known as The Bacchantes) is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. ... Dionysus with a panther and satyr, in the Palazzo Altemps (Rome, Italy) Dionysus or Dionysos (Ancient Greek: Διώνυσος or Διόνυσος; also known as Bacchus in both Greek and Roman mythology and associated with the Italic Liber), the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its... In Greek mythology, Maenads [MEE-nads] were female worshippers of Dionysus, the Greek god of mystery, wine and intoxication. ... Agave (illustrious) was the queen of Thebes in Greek mythology, mother of Pentheus and daughter of Harmonia and Cadmus. ...

The name 'Pentheus', as Dionysus points out, means "'Man of Sorrows'; even his name destines him for tragedy.