47 pages 1 hour read

Euripides

Alcestis

Fiction | Play | Adult | BCE

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Essay Topics

1.

Who, if anyone, does the play suggest is really responsible for Alcestis’s death? Was it fair for Apollo to offer Admetus a chance to escape his death by finding a substitute to die in the first place?

2.

Why does Alcestis agree to die for Admetus? Is there evidence that she comes to regret her choice? Support your answer with evidence from the play.

3.

Why is Alcestis considered a “problem play?” How has the play’s undetermined genre status affected scholarship on Greek tragedy?