Alcestis by Euripides

E121513
ancient Greek play stage drama tragedy

"Alcestis" is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides that dramatizes the story of a devoted wife who volunteers to die in place of her husband and is later rescued from death by Heracles.

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All labels observed (8)

Label Occurrences
Alcestis 2
Alcestis (play) 1
Alcestis by Euripides canonical 1

Statements (50)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ancient Greek play ⓘ
stage drama ⓘ
tragedy ⓘ
associatedDeity Apollo ⓘ
associatedMythCycle Admetus and Alcestis myth ⓘ
author Euripides ⓘ
centralTheme death and rebirth ⓘ
hospitality (xenia) ⓘ
marital devotion ⓘ
self-sacrifice ⓘ
the nature of heroism ⓘ
characterizationFeature blend of tragic and comic elements ⓘ
choralMeter various lyric meters in choral odes ⓘ
dramaticDevice Heracles as a comic yet heroic savior ⓘ
dramaticInnovation use of a tragic play in the satyr-play position ⓘ
ethicalQuestion obligations between parents and children ⓘ
value of self-sacrifice in marriage ⓘ
featuresCharacter Admetus' father Pheres ⓘ
Apollo ⓘ
Chorus of citizens of Pherae ⓘ
Admetus ⓘ
surface form: King Admetus of Pherae

Thanatos ⓘ
surface form: Thanatos (Death)

servants of Admetus ⓘ
firstPerformanceDate 438 BC ⓘ
firstPerformanceFestival City Dionysia ⓘ
firstPerformancePlace Athens ⓘ
genre satyr-influenced tragedy ⓘ
tragedy ⓘ
influenced Alceste by Christoph Willibald Gluck ⓘ
later European drama ⓘ
operatic adaptations ⓘ
language Ancient Greek ⓘ
literaryForm verse drama ⓘ
literaryPeriod Classical Athens ⓘ
mainCharacter Admetus ⓘ
Alcestis (mythological queen) ⓘ
surface form: Alcestis (mythological figure)

Heracles ⓘ
Thanatos ⓘ
meter primarily iambic trimeter in dialogue ⓘ
mythicMotif descent to the realm of Death ⓘ
substitutionary death ⓘ
mythologicalSource Greek mythology ⓘ
originalPerformanceContext Athenian tragedy ⓘ
partOfCorpus Euripidean corpus ⓘ
plotSummary Alcestis volunteers to die in place of her husband Admetus and is later rescued from Death by Heracles ⓘ
replacedGenreInTetralogy satyr play ⓘ
setting Pherae ⓘ
surface form: Pherae in Thessaly
structure prologue, parodos, episodes, stasima, exodos ⓘ
survivalStatus extant complete play ⓘ
tetralogyPosition fourth play ⓘ

Referenced by (9)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Alcmene → mentionedIn → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
Euripides → notableWork → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
this entity surface form: Alcestis
Pherae → hasMythologicalAssociation → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
this entity surface form: Alcestis
Thanatos → literarySource → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
this entity surface form: Euripides’ Alcestis
Alceste → basedOn → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
this entity surface form: Euripides’ play Alcestis
Admetus → knownFor → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
this entity surface form: myth of Alcestis
Admetus → literaryAppearance → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
this entity surface form: Euripides' play Alcestis
Admetus → source → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
this entity surface form: Euripides, Alcestis
Alcestis (mythological queen) → appearsInWork → Alcestis by Euripides ⓘ
subject surface form: Alcestis
this entity surface form: Alcestis (play)