Talk:Alcestis (play)

New wife?

"When he returns, he brings with him a veiled woman whom he tells Admetus he has brought for his host as a new wife."

At least in the Vellacott translation, he seems to ask Admetus to simply look after her for him till he returns from one of his labours. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.64.137.106 (talk) 17:24, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Awful writing

"Hospitality was considered a great virtue among the Greeks, that is why Admetos cannot send Heracles away from his house."

It sounds like a middle-schooler's essay. UGH. At least the grammar should be fixed.

OK, it is fixed.

--Nargmage 21:43, 7 October 2006 (UTC) - o u r such a hater —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.14.19.23 (talk) 03:28, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Citations

There need to be citations of whatever translation the article is using. I can't find any edition with something like "Who would ever have thought Death had a sense of humour?" —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.103.99.51 (talk) 11:32, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

Looks like that was me. I think that I only had one translation to had when I sketched in the synopsis in a little more detail. I'll add the translation to the article. Feel free to re-describe in a way that summarises what other translations say. Looking at McLeish's for the same line, there's no metatheatre, so I'll remove that.  • DP •  ^{huh?} 12:30, 8 May 2011 (UTC)

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Request for help with awkward segue in plot description

Under the heading "Synopsis" the final two sentences read
"Heracles is deeply embarrassed at his blunder and his bad behaviour and he decides to ambush and confront Death when the funerary sacrifices are made at Alcestis' tomb. When he returns, he brings with him a veiled woman whom he tells Admetus he has won in a competition." (emphases added to show the two events in their described sequence)
Being unfamiliar with the plot, I had to re-read this passage many times to try to understand the actual sequence of events and their import. I think I now understand the nature of Heracles' subterfuge, but for those who are as ignorant of the story as I was, the segue between the two sentences is jarring and confusing, seeming to happen in close succession. Would it be possible for someone familiar with the story to add an interposition between them so that it is more readily apprehensible? Even something like the following would help: "...he decides to ambush and confront Death when the funerary sacrifices are made at Alcestis' tomb. Heracles takes his leave. Some time passes in his absence but when he returns he brings with him a silent and mysteriously veiled woman whom he explains to Admetus that he has won in a competition." (emphases added to show proposed additions) This would make it clear that at least one consequential event (Heracles and Thanatos fighting over the fate of Alcestis has transpired between those two sentences, without giving away any more than necessary. These changes don't add any content (which of course I am not qualified to do), but they might clarify the flow of events at this pivotal juncture in the denouement. Ideas? Bricology (talk) 20:35, 22 May 2023 (UTC)