Silenus is the mentor and companion of Dionysus, the god of wine and debauchery. American philosopher and art critic Morgan Mace's 'Drunken Silenus' begins with an analysis of Peter Paul Rubens's painting of the same name and then evolves into a captivating exploration of philosophical pessimism across the ages: from the bleating of a goat being torn apart in ancient mystery cults to Friedrich Nietzsche's 'The Birth of Tragedy'; from the catastrophes of the Bronze Age and the Trojan War to World War II. Unabashedly dark and humorous at once, this book will appeal to all lovers of art and reflections on the ultimate questions of human existence.