Alcestis

means nothing because the streets are made of gold. A Greek poet named Euripides wrestles with a different human problem that of death. In his play “Alcestis” we are told the story of Alcestis, the wife of a man named Admetus. Admetus is given a gift by one of the gods; he is told that he can cheat death and live forever if he finds someone who will die in his place. The condition is that this person must willingly die. “None of Admetus’s kin cares to offer himself in his place, but Alcestis, in wifely devotion, pledges herself to die for her husband.” At this point Heracles enters the picture. Heracles arrives at the door of Admetus seeking hospitality. Admetus graciously welcomes him into his home but after Heracles discovers what has transpired he determines to journey to the underworld to fight death in order to bring back Alcestis. Heracles: “I must save this woman who has died so lately, bring Alcestis back to live in this house, and pay Admetus all the kindness that I owe. I must go there and watch for Death of the black robes, master of dead men… Then, if I can break suddenly from my hiding place, catch him, and hold him in the cirle of these arms, there is no way he will be able to break my hold on his bruised ribs, until he gives the woman up to me. Heracles descends into Hades and after he defeats death, reunites Alcestis with her husband. This is a touching scene, a powerful scene, and one that makes us long for a savior who can conquer death for us all.…

Alcestis was the wife of King Admetus, a man who was allowed to live past the time of his death so long as he found someone to take his place. When the time came for the king to die, Alcestis agrees to sacrifice herself to spare her children from going fatherless. Euripides’s work begins just as Alcestis is about to die. In a heartfelt monologue before her passing, Alcestis only asks that her husband honor her memory by not taking another wife and bringing a stepmother into their children’s…

Gender roles and the use of gender show up very differently in Greek culture and literature. In Euripdies' Alcestis, Alcestis makes the ultimate sacrifice of death in order to spare her husband's life. Her role as a mother and queen is supposed to live on after her death by with the temptations of merrymaking, her place is put into question by the actions of her husband Admetus. Stereotypical gender roles for Greek society are put into question within this play by the role of wife overpowering…

Two of Euripides’ plays, Medea and Alcestis have many similar themes, but with many differences. They deal with topics such as the role of women and their expectations by men. The characters are very similar in many aspects, but different when it comes to actions and expectations. Medea and Alcestis have many similarities, but are about as different as can be when it comes to the expectations of women in Ancient Greece. Alcestis is the personification of the perfect woman, loving, caring for her…

As we move from reference to the house of Argo in The family Reunion we arrive at the house of Admetus,The Cocktail Party has an allusion to the Greek myth of Euripides’ Alcestis in which, somebody should still die instead of Admetus .As it looks that, though Admetus asks his parents and then his close friends in search of somone who replaces him, all are reluctant to assume his role, until Admetus’s wife, Alcestis, heartily approves to do so, for two reasons first because she loves him and…

Upon reading Euripides’ work, many people struggle to determine if he was or was not a feminist. With his presentation of female protagonists in many of his plays, some do not find it difficult to rationalize that Euripides was a feminist. However, upon closer examination of his texts, this is not the case. In plays such as “Alcestis”, “Medea”, and “Iphigenia at Aulis” Euripides shows female protagonists who are at crossroads in their lives, and focuses on their decision making process. However,…

Myths are sacred stories that reflect a certain community’s attitudes and beliefs towards a certain topic. In the context of Greek Mythology, students and historians can gain a deeper insight into Greek traditions and rituals. Through Greek myths incorporating the themes of marriage and death, it is clear that The Greeks hold the belief that love is the most powerful force in the world. Even with the undeniable power of the universality of death, love still prevails. In the myths of Orpheus and…

They rarely ever came out of the lair to help. One of the times that they come out is in the story where they help Apollo. When Atropos cut the thread of a King Admetus, Apollo begged the fates to undo their work because he was a friend of Apollos and he didn’t want him to die. The sisters told him they could not undo anything but if someone were to take the kings place in the underworld he could live. The king’s wife Alcestis offered herself to trade places with Admetus. But Hercules ended up…

aristocratic background was not necessarily a quality of social status. Euripides is known for conveying modern ideas and opinions though the portrayal of traditional characters. He also wrote about religion, revenge, and all-consuming love. Euripides added new levels of intrigue and elements of comedy, and also created the love-drama to the already existent plot innovations provided by Aeschylus and Sophocles. Three basic themes: war, women, and religion are common to all of Euripides’…

Chiefly, I think I learned, and I hope we all learned, that there is a reason that these plays were written as tragedies and not comedies. Namely, that comedy is ill-adapted to convey the messages of these great works, especially mediocrely performed comedy. The message of, say, Antigone is lost if satyrs distract the audience; that of Prometheus Bound if satyrs heckle intentionally bad actors; etc. etc. Our performance had no message. This was most clearly evident in scenes such as Alcestis; it…