اسم الكتاب: ألكستيس – Alcestis - Ἄλκηστις
اسم المؤلف: الشاعر يوريبيديس - Εὐριπίδης - Euripides
عدد الصفحات: 72 صفحة


نبذة عن الكاتب،،
ولد في قرية «فيلا» في جزيرة سالاميس بالقرب من اثينا في سنة 480 قبل الميلاد، يُعتبر يوربيديس شاعر مسرحي تراجيدي اغريقي، كان يوربيديس رساماً، إلا أنه أحترف الأدب في سنين حياته الأخيرة، وقد كتب عدداً كبيراً من المسرحيات ، وبقيت حوالي 20 مسرحية يُعتقد أنه كاتبها. وكل هذه المسرحيات سميت بأسماء شخصيات شهيرة في الميثولوجيا الإغريقية اليونانية أو التاريخ القديم . وتتميز كل هذه المسرحيات بمهارة حبكتها، وموضوعها الدرامي، وسهولة حوارها، ومحتواها المأساوي التراجيدي .
يعتبر أول شاعر مسرحي تراجيدي صور الحياة وما يجري فيها من أحداث تصويرا واقعيا، صور شخصيات مسرحياته كما هي، لا كما ينبغي أن تكون. توفى سنة 406 قبل الميلاد، وكان في الخامسة والسبعين من العمر.

~نبذة عن المسرحية،،
نشرت هذه المسرحية عام 438 ق.م. تليها ميديا،

~مراجعتي،،
يأتي الموت بأخذ روح إدمتيوس ولكنه لا يرغب بالموت فيعقد صفقة بأن يموت أحد آخر بدلاً عنه، فيطلب من أبويه العجوزين فيرفضان وأيضاً لأنه والده فيراس مستمتع جداً بحياته ولا يرغب بفقدانها مبكراً، فتتطوع زوجته ألكستيس بالموت بدلاً عنه تضحيةً لزوجها، تموت الزوجة ويصبح إدمتيوس أرملاً تعيساً وفي يوم موتها يحضر إلى منزله هرقل ضيفاً فيستقبله إدمتيوس ويحسن استقباله برغم حزنه الشديد ويذهب بعدها لدفن الزوجة، يعلم هرقل من الخادم بموت صاحبة الدار فيقرر القتال مع الموت قرب قبرها لإعادة آليكستس للحياة، وهذا ما كان.

ميثولوجيا إغريقية جميلة فيها القصة والعبرة والمغامرة.

~اقتباسات،،
1-tانك لا تستطيع أن تملك شيء لا يجب أن تملكه. ~الموت
2-tفما من أحد يمكن أن يهدئ من الروع إلا الأم. ~ألكستيس
3-tالزمن كافي لمحو آلامك، أما الأنسان الميت فلا شيء. ~ألكستيس
4-tإن الشخص الذي يوشك أن يموت يعتبر في عداد الموتى، فلا يمكن إعتباره موجوداً على الأرض. ~إدمتيوس
5-tهناك فرق بين الوجود بالفعل وعدم الوجود فكلاهما شيئان مختلفان تماماً. ~ هرقل
6-tما من أحد يصلي لأجل الموت، فعندما يدنوا الموت، ما من أحد يريد أن يموت. ~إدمتيوس
7-tلقد ولدت من أجل نفسك فقط، وسواء كان مصيرك سيئاً أو حسناً. ~فيراس
8-tهل مجيئ الموت في وقت الصبا يكون مساوياً عند مجيئه في وقت العجز؟ ~إدمتيوس
9-tإننا مضطرين أن نحيا حياة واحدةً كوننا نملك روحاً واحدة، فلا توجد لدينا واحدة أخرى. ~إدمتيوس
10-tإن نور هذه الشمس ثمين، بل ثمين جداً. ~فيراس
11-tفأي شر عظيم من الممكن أن يواجهه الإنسان أكبر من فقدان الزوجة المخلصة؟ ~ إدمتيوس

A beautiful play by the great ancient Greek tragedian Euripides that combines elements from both tragedy and comedy! Although most of the play focuses on Ademtus, whose loving and good wife Alcestis accepted to go to the underworld instead of her husband (a help to Admetus granted by the god Apollo), but the play is about the great sacrifice Alcestis did for the sake of her to children (she did not want them to be deprived from their own father) and for her beloved husband, whose loss she would not be able to bear. I particularly loved the psychological dimension in the play, which can be seen in the selfishness of Admetus, as well as his parents who refused to sacrifice their lives for their own son. Moreover, in spite of Admetus apparent love to his faithful and loving wife, he allowed her to die and go instead of him to Hades, and until the last moments of her life he did not show any change of mind. Another important point I loved in the play is its depiction of the human condition, represented in people’s fear of death, which is inevitable. Somehow the play shows that a good deed must be rewarded (e.g. Hercules rewarded Admetus for his hospitality), and an important implication the play included is that life is sweet however shot it is. Finally, the language and characterization of the play are beautiful and attractive; you feel unable to leave the play before reaching the final line.

I really like Euripides. This was a fun play, all the marks of the tragedies but with very unique conclusions. No spoilers. Felt a little unfinished

I think this is a must read after The silent patient .. or probably before it.. but well.

The Alcestis of Euripides, a Greek tragedy, hardly a tragedy, a Satyr-play (not satire). First produced at the City Dionysia festival in 438 BC.

Gilbert Murray brings us one of the most culturally important plays known to civilization, a base to the world as we know it. His introduction and Notes are pleasantly direct and insightful.



I can re-read this again and again.

So, I actually read this twice last night.

Somehow I already had a copy of Alcestis, translated by Diane Svarlien. Usually, before reading a classic, I try to preview the first few pages of various translations and choose the one I like best. But I plunged in ahead with the copy I had due to convenience.

What a mistake. I finished Svarlien's rendering of Alcestis both baffled and disappointed. Was it all going to be a downward spiral from now on with Euripides' works, plays without even a glimmer of the greatness found in his indisputable masterpieces Medea and The Bacchae? Was I even reading Euripides?

I was about to write a review about how unimpressed and unmoved I felt, doubting Euripides, but then I saw quotes from Alcestis that other reviewers had shared below, from versions by Richard Lattimore and Ted Hughes. Were they even quoting from the same play? I went in search of another version with a more powerful, dynamic verse.

Luckily, there's a copy of Alcestis available through openlibrary, translated by William Arrowsmith.

It's the exact same story, but a verse rendered with an eye for its poetry makes all the difference. The play, which had initially left me disconnected and nonplussed, on this second read through, became something special.

Alcestis is a meditation on death. The fear of dying that drives Admetos to cowardice, to proffering Alcestis in his stead. His own parents didn't want to sacrifice their lives for his, and so virtuous Alcestis volunteers. Admetos actually lets her go through with it, all the while sobbing his regret. Only the person who loved you most would die for you; and foolish Admetos, too late, realizes life is not worth living with Alcestis gone. A drunken Heracles, wearing a myrtle crown likely weaved from the funeral flowers, realizes halfway through a night of revelry that the wife of his host is actually dead. Furious at being lied to, he wrestles Death to bring Alcestis back to Admetos. She's veiled at the end, unable to speak, Hercules says, for three days. Her silence is mysterious. Alcestis accepts her into his house even before being sure of her identity, out of his deference to Heracles' wishes. Clothed in her exact same funeral vestments, he somehow fails to recognize her until the veil is lifted.

Much as I didn't like Svarlien's translation, she raises the interesting point that perhaps, since Admetis doesn't recognize her a first, and we can't hear Alcestis' voice, it's not really her. I'm sure Euripides didn't mean to imply a doppelganger, but this doubt ties into the dread that we have that even someone brought back to life will somehow be forever altered, an essential element lost. Death, after all, is final. It doesn't relinquish its grip easily.

The happy ending is a bit of a surprise coming from Euripedes, and this play is classified more as a tragicomedy than a tragedy. But, perhaps it's not a happy ending, after Admetis has revealed his true colors and proved himself to be utterly unworthy of his wife. Alcestis' motivations for taking his place are murky and I'd like to imagine she had reasons of her own for her embrace of death.

3.5

Now one of my favorite tragedies. What an interesting choice to follow a man stricken by grief cause by his own cowardice when the hero of the story has died. Great symbolism in the Charon scene in the beginning, I adored that

APOLLO 
Is there no way that Alcestis can come to old age?

THANATOS 
There is not. You have to realize that I enjoy my honors too.

APOLLO 
You won't get more than one life anyway.

THANATOS 
I get a juicier prize when the young die.

APOLLO 
And yet if she dies in old age, she will have a rich funeral.

THANATOS 
Your law favors the rich, Phoebus.

APOLLO 
What do you mean? Have you become a philosopher and not told anybody?

THANATOS 
Those who could afford it would buy a ripe old age.

APOLLO 
I suppose you are not going to do me this favor.

THANATOS 
No, not really. You know what I am like.

Alceste de Eurípides foi a quarta peça teatral a ser encenada na cidade de Dionísia depois de três tragédias, como era de costume.
A história é a seguinte:O rei Admeto de Feras comete um ato falho e terá que morrer. Só que ele tem uma salvação; alguém da sua família poderá morrer em seu lugar. Só que ninguém quer, nem seus país. Alceste, sua esposa, "a melhor das mulheres" aceita morrer em seu lugar. Morta por amor ao seu marido e filhos, Alceste irá até o Hades.
Mas um guerreiro chega de uma cidade vizinha. Encantado com a hospitalidade de Admeto que o recebeu mesmo estando de luto, vai até o Hades brigar pelo corpo de Alceste. A pergunta é : conseguirá resgatar à Alceste?
Recomendo a todos esta história triste, fantástica e emocionante.

What an insufferable little prick!!!

Two stars for Heracles being a funny unbeatable jock but man this was hard to sit through. Alcestis should spend her second chance at life advocating for no-fault divorce laws.

ez még akkor is nagyon jó volt, ha az utolsó 5 oldalt átaludtam (my bad, fáradt vagyok)