Why Did Pentheus Resist Dionysus?

Pentheus wants to establish an earthly, rational authority as the single legal sovereign, so much so that he adamantly refuses to allow even the worship of Dionysus. Dionysus wants to establish his joyful divine authority over the city and contest Pentheus's project of a purely rational civic order.

How does Pentheus feel about Dionysus?

Pentheus, the antagonist of the play, is the naïve king of Thebes and Dionysus' cousin. He stubbornly refuses to worship Dionysus—or even to believe in his godliness—and tries to impose his authoritarian might on Dionysus' female followers, known as the Bacchae.

Who was Pentheus Why was the doomed by Dionysus?

Pentheus was the king of Thebes. When he took the throne, he banned the worship of Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry. In doing this, Pentheus incited the anger of the Bacchae, the women who worshipped Dionysus (Bacchus).