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. |
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Page 19
... refers to the summary of the story which the playwright constructs out of a legend ( xxxviii ) , in other words to the plot of the tragedy . The translation of the passage is mine . 2. F. G. Guentner , " Alcestis in Ancient Drama and ...
... refers to the summary of the story which the playwright constructs out of a legend ( xxxviii ) , in other words to the plot of the tragedy . The translation of the passage is mine . 2. F. G. Guentner , " Alcestis in Ancient Drama and ...
Page 24
... refers to line 1127 of the play . 106. Charles Segal , Euripides and the Poetics of Sorrow ( Durham and London : Duke University Press , 1993 ) 5 . 107. Segal 40 , 86 . 108. Segal 73 . 109. Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz , Anxiety Veiled ...
... refers to line 1127 of the play . 106. Charles Segal , Euripides and the Poetics of Sorrow ( Durham and London : Duke University Press , 1993 ) 5 . 107. Segal 40 , 86 . 108. Segal 73 . 109. Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz , Anxiety Veiled ...
Page 77
... refers to his son , Asclepius who was killed by Zeus . The Chorus refers to him again later in the play as a healer of " the many of afflictions of man " ( 971 ) . Asclepius is a physician who manages to resurrect Orion as well as other ...
... refers to his son , Asclepius who was killed by Zeus . The Chorus refers to him again later in the play as a healer of " the many of afflictions of man " ( 971 ) . Asclepius is a physician who manages to resurrect Orion as well as other ...
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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