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Alcestis
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Summary and Study Guide
Overview
Alcestis is a Greek tragedy composed by Euripides (c. 480-406 BCE). It is the earliest of Euripides’s dated surviving plays, performed in 438 BCE at the City Dionysia dramatic festival in Athens, where it won second prize. Plays performed in Athens during the 5th century are often referred to as “Attic tragedies.” Alcestis was performed as part of the tetralogy made up of the tragedies Cretan Women, Alcmaeon in Psophis, and Telephus (none of which survive). Alcestis took the place in the tetralogy that was usually reserved for a satyr play, which combines elements of tragedy and comedy. This unusual arrangement has shaped the way scholars and critics have interpreted the play as a “problem play,” because it uses irony, ambiguity, and humor to explore themes such as the Inevitability of Death, the Pursuit of Virtue and a Good Reputation, and the Relationship between Gods and Mortals.
This study guide refers to Richmond Lattimore’s translation of the play from the third edition of the University of Chicago Press series The Complete Greek Tragedies (2013).
Plot Summary
Related Titles
By Euripides
