What is the story of Alcestis?
Her life story was told by pseudo-Apollodorus in his Bibliotheca, and a version of her death and return from the dead was also popularized in Euripides 's tragedy Alcestis . Alcestis was the fairest among the daughters of Pelias, king of Iolcus, and either Anaxibia or Phylomache.
When was Alcestis first performed?
Alcestis (play) It was first produced at the City Dionysia festival in 438 BC. Euripides presented it as the final part of a tetralogy of unconnected plays in the competition of tragedies, for which he won second prize; this arrangement was exceptional, as the fourth part was normally a satyr play.
Who wrote the poem Alkestis?
Rainer Maria Rilke wrote a poem "Alkestis". H. P. Lovecraft and Sonia Greene collaborated on a play called Alcestis (however, Lovecraft scholar S. T. Joshi thinks it is entirely Greene's work).
Is Alcestis a good text for Women's Studies?
Alcestis is also a popular text for women's studies. Critics have indicated that the play's central focus is Admetus rather than Alcestis. Segal, for example, has written of the play's patriarchal aspects.
Why did Alcestis give up her life?
The story concerns the imminent death of King Admetus, who is advised that he will be allowed to live if he can find someone willing to die in his place. Alcestis, his wife, gives up her life before she recognizes that the fact and manner of her dying will blight his life.
What is the lesson in Alcestis?
So, whenever you are lost in despair, remember the moral of Euripides' Alcestis: “With various hands the gods dispense our fates; now showering various blessings, which our hopes dared not aspire to; now controlling ills we deemed inevitable.
Why did Alcestis sacrifice herself?
It presents the story of Alcestis, the wife of Admetus, who according to Greek mythology sacrificed her own life in order to bring her husband back from the dead.
Why did Alcestis not speak?
Admetus asks Heracles why Alcestis does not speak. Heracles replies that three days must pass, during which she will become purified of her consecration to the gods of the Underworld, before she can speak again.
How is Alcestis a tragedy?
Alcestis was the hero in the tragedy because she died for her husband, and she sacrificed her life for the life of another. Alcestis represents the justification of human life in the tragedy because she proves that there are more important things than living and physically being alive.
What does Admetus promise his wife while she is on her death bed?
The royal family–Admetus, Alcestis, and their two children–emerge from the palace, with Alcestis on her death bed. Just before Alcestis dies, Admetus promises never again to marry. The children and the Chorus sing their grief.
How was Alcestis saved from the death?
The warrior Heracles rescued Alcestis by wrestling at her grave with Death.
What does the name Alcestis mean in Greek?
In Greek Baby Names the meaning of the name Alcestis is: Name of a woman who gave her life to save her hushand.
Why did Hercules bring Alcestis back from the dead?
Further, by placing himself in danger by physically wrestling death, Hercules embodies the personal excellence of courage and heroism and, by doing so, he restores order to the kingdom by bringing the queen back to her king and rewarding the selflessness of Alcestis.
Does Alcestis come back to life?
The story in which Alcestis is returned to life by Persephone, therefore, probably pre-dates Euripides' play and he reworked the story for greater dramatic effect and, of course, to capitalize on the popularity of the hero Hercules who, by Euripides' time, would have been a significant draw at the box office.
How do you pronounce the name Alcestis?
0:051:03How To Say Alcestis - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou I'll cestus also al Custis.MoreYou I'll cestus also al Custis.
Does Alcestis speak again?
Finally, one of the servants snaps at the guest and tells him what has happened. Fortunately for everyone, Heracles really was a good friend. Saddened by the news, he decides to face Death and take Alcestis back. Although she cannot speak for three days, she returns to life purified and fully restored.
Overview
Appearance in other works
• Geoffrey Chaucer's long poem, "The Legend of Good Women" features Alcestis as a character in both versions of the Prologue. In the poem, she is consort to the God of Love and instructs the poet-narrator to tell "a glorious legend / Of Goode wymmen, maydenes and wyves / That weren trewe in lovyng al hire lyves."
• Milton's famous sonnet, "Methought I Saw My Late Espoused Saint", c. 1650, alludes to the myth, with the speaker of the poem dreaming of his dead wife being brou…
Family
Alcestis was the fairest among the daughters of Pelias, king of Iolcus, and either Anaxibia or Phylomache. She was sister to Acastus, Pisidice, Pelopia and Hippothoe. Alcestis was the wife of Admetus by whom she bore a son, Eumelus, a participant in the siege of Troy, and a daughter, Perimele.
Mythology
Many suitors appeared before King Pelias and tried to woo Alcestis when she came of age to marry. It was declared by her father that she would marry the first man to yoke a lion and a boar (or a bear in some cases) to a chariot. The man who would do this, King Admetus, was helped by Apollo, who had been banished from Olympus for one year to serve as a shepherd to Admetus. With Apollo's help, Admetus completed the challenge set by King Pelias, and was allowed to mar…
Notes
1. ^ Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.9.15
2. ^ Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.9.10
3. ^ Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphosis 23
4. ^ Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.9.15
External links
• "Alcestis"—a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke