Alkestis (2)Alcestis

(438 BCE) A tragedy by Euripides which tells the story of Alkestis and the noble sacrifice of her own life to save her husband, Admetos.

The story of Alkestis and Admetos is a very confusing moral commentary; when Thanatos (Death) came for Admetos, his wife, Alkestis, bravely stepped forward and offered to die in his place; it would seem that the proper moral thing to do would be for Admetos to prevent his wife from making the ultimate sacrifice and accept his own death but that is not the way the Immortals arranged things.

This play is tragic in that, after Alkestis’ death, her husband and young son lament her death and are gripped with woe and foreboding at her passing; with lines like: “Those who are about to die are dead, and the dead are nothing,” gives a convincing feel to the veil of grief that cloaks Admetos’ palace.

Immediately after Alkestis’ burial and in conjunction with his Eighth Labor (Capturing the Mares of Diomedes), Herakles (Hercules) came to Admetos’ door and was received as a guest even though the house was steeped in sorrow; when Herakles realized that Admetos had tried to make him welcome even though he was grieving, Herakles decided to use his strength to retrieve Alkestis from the House of Hades; the reunion of Admetos and Alkestis crowns the sadness of this play and leaves us with a feeling mitigated happiness.

I personally recommend the translations compiled by Richmond Lattimore and David Grene; you can find this and other plays by Euripides in the 882 section of your local library or you can order them from the Book Shop on this site which is linked to Amazon.com.