Euripides and Alcestis: Speculations, Simulations, and Stories of Love in the Athenian CultureUniversity Press of America, 1998 - 113 pages Euripides and Alcestis demonstrates the inherent presence of indeterminacy in Euripides' play, Alcestis. The author uses about eighty of the scholarly attempts to establish a determinate meaning of the play to exhibit the difficulty and lack of success in previous attempts at interpretation. She recognizes that the meaning of the play is surrounded by ambiguity and indeterminacy and provides an interpretation based on this knowledge. As an interpretation, the author focuses on Admetus' desire in relation to Alcestis' statue and his nature as a fifth century Athenian man while exposing Alcestis as a nonidentity. She also analyzes the issues of representation and spectatorship, showing that the theatrical performance is constructed in order to function as vehicles for the satisfaction of a dominant position-that of Admetus and the spectator of the performance. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 18
Page 5
... finds them " aesthetically repulsive . . . exhibitions of [ bad ] character . " In 1896 , Hadley opposes Verrall's point of view : Euripides takes the opportunity offered by the demand for a play of less tragic material ( Alcestis was ...
... finds them " aesthetically repulsive . . . exhibitions of [ bad ] character . " In 1896 , Hadley opposes Verrall's point of view : Euripides takes the opportunity offered by the demand for a play of less tragic material ( Alcestis was ...
Page 6
... finds him " dull " 18 : although he is deeply devoted to his wife , he accepts her sacrifice . Bates also attacks Verrall's arguments as " pure fantasy " missing the spirit of Euripides whose purpose is not " to ridicule old myths ...
... finds him " dull " 18 : although he is deeply devoted to his wife , he accepts her sacrifice . Bates also attacks Verrall's arguments as " pure fantasy " missing the spirit of Euripides whose purpose is not " to ridicule old myths ...
Page 77
... finds the deus ex machina to be a curious feature , which may express some " fundamental religious irresolution " on the part of Euripides , while also providing an " . . . opportunity of the spectacular theatrical staging for which ...
... finds the deus ex machina to be a curious feature , which may express some " fundamental religious irresolution " on the part of Euripides , while also providing an " . . . opportunity of the spectacular theatrical staging for which ...
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
absence accepts According action actor Admetus Aeschylus Alcestis analysis Ancient Apollo appears ariste Aristotle Athenian Bacchae becomes believes brings called Cambridge Century characters Charles Segal Chorus Classical Collected Criticism dead death describe desire deus Dionysus Drama Duke University elements Essays Euripidean Euripides fact father female Feminine figure final finds function gives Gorgias Greek Tragedy hand Heracles hospitality human husband identity illusion imitation important interpretation keep language live London look male marriage mask meaning mirror Mortals Myth nature object offered origin Oxford Paris person Plato play pleasure Poetics present Princeton promise reality refers reflection relationship representation returns rhetorical role sacrifice scene spectators speech stage statue story Stranger structural Studies substitute suggests theatre thing tragic trans translated truth University Press values veil Vernant wife woman women York young Zeitlin