Alcestis is a myth that is "the most touching of all the Greek dramas to a modern audience" (Lind 213). It is a tragicomedy by the playwright Euripides and it centers on the king and queen of Thessalia. Admetus, the king, has been fated to die yet, due to his alliance with Apollo, is given the chance to find a replacement. His wife, Alcestis, volunteers for the position claiming that she cannot imagine life without her husband. After Alcestis submits her life, Admetus discovers the pain of loss and even determines that Alcestis is the lucky one in dying.
In a surprising turn of events, a friend of Admetus, Heracles, goes down into the underworld, wrestles Death, and wins Admetus back his bride.1 This tale, as mentioned above,
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Alcestis tells her children to "live happy in the light of day" (Euripides 273) and Pheres accuses his son Admetus of loving "to look upon the light of day" (Euripides 691). These are just four examples of a play filled with mentions of light, and it seems to be a device used by Euripides.
This playwright uses the mention of sun and light constantly to hint at the silent presence of Apollo, who is the god of the sun’s rays. He is guiding the fate of the drama’s characters. A second examination can be focused on the use of the flute in the drama. Apollo is credited as being the creator of music and of the flute.
The flute plays throughout the play through stage directions interpreted by editor L.R. Lind. Mostly, the flute is played as Admetus speaks and is quite prominent throughout lines 863-902 where Admetus truly understands why Alcestis gave her life and begins to envy Alcestis in her death. These places of flute are also mentions of the presence of Apollo and perhaps show where he aids Admetus in understanding the reason for Alcestis’s sacrifice. The most important concept that can be derived from the above material is that Apollo is a god known for oracles at Delphi.
Apollo gives the above oracle personally and is constantly brought up as being a character just under the surface of the play. He can been seen as a character guiding the fates of the other characters and can thus be held accountable for the
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A chorus is a common element to Greek tragedy’s and in ancient theatre consisted of a group of people who provide a number of different contributions to a play, providing a historical perspective, acting as counsellors and advisors to the plays characters and at times representing various groups such as villagers or a jury. Within this essay, I will consider the main contributions of the chorus within “The Burial at Thebes”
This paper is to show that Heracles is the prime example of a hero’s journey through his actions and the struggles that he faced during his life until he was about to die but instead of death, his father, Zeus, saved him and he conquered the mortal realm, to become a god.
As Hephaestus is notified of Thetis’ arrival, he explores what their relationship has meant to him. Hephaestus recalls that “Thetis saved my life when the mortal pain came on me after my great fall…” (P. 480) After Hephaestus falls out of Zeus’ good graces, Thetis is able to lend her helping hand, displaying the hierarchical dynamic between the gods. The gods are indebted to each other, the likely reason that Hephaestus felt as though he needed to make Thetis the ornate shield. The duty and obligation to each other fuels the mutualistic relationships between the gods. Thetis’ motivation to help Hephaestus was not solely out of kindness; rather Thetis saw the opportunity to make a strategic move and put Hephaestus in her debt, knowing that she very well could use his services in her future. Hephaestus describes the pain that he felt as “mortal pain” signifying a distinction between the discomforts and vulnerability of mortals and gods.
Waking up in the morning, going to sleep at night, and doing what one loves in between, is what success means. That, to me, encompasses being able to help people and possibly save lives as a career. There is a nobility in succeeding in certain areas one cares deeply about. Having the ability and capability to protect and serve is a strong desire within me. Developing my education, in order to further my success something that I perceive as a crucial aspect of being able to do what I love. Attending Endicott is the first step in this journey of mine.
Art Spiegelman’s Maus, is a unique way of looking at history. Through the use of comics, Spiegelman allows the reader to draw their own conclusions within the parameters of the panes of the comic. Unlike reading a textbook in which the author describes every detail about the subject matter, comics allow for the reader to draw their own conclusions from the information given to them. Also by reading a serious comic such as Maus, we are able to break away from
1. Which accounting method best reflects the economic reality? Put another way, which accounting numbers – the GAAP or non-GAAP numbers best reflects economic reality? [10 points]
Edith Hamilton agrees that “the human mind played no part at all in the whole business” (176). Three oracles are introduced. An oracle is a communication pathway between mortals and the gods. The first oracle predicts a murder. Laius, the king of Thebes, hears the prophecy that his son will kill him. The second oracle predicts that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. The third and final oracle states that whoever can solve the riddle of the Sphinx will win the throne of Thebes and Iocaste as his Queen. These three oracles serve as the backbone of the story. Knowing these, the audience sits back to wait the turn of events. Reading the play while knowing the oracles can be compared to watching a movie for the second time: you still think the characters will make a different decision. However, these characters are the victims of fate, and their actions have already been planned out, or have they?
During ancient times, the notorious Oracle and Sanctuary of Apollo lay in close proximity to the theatre. Strategically engineered to harness the acoustic properties of the area, the theatre is composed of a stage, chorus, and amphitheatre. If filled to capacity, the amphitheatre’s thirty-five rows could hold nearly five thousand persons. Long ago, when it was still in use, the people of Greece “enjoyed plays, poetry readings, and many musical events during the various festivals that took place periodically at Delphi” (Ancient-Greece). One such event could have been the Pythian Games, which were held at Delphi every four years. The games were to commemorate the legend that in that spot the god Apollo had killed the monster Python. In accordance with their superstition, the people believed their god to be present at such celebrations. Regardless of such superstitions, the view of the lush underlying valleys from the theatre’s height is acknowledged to be unparalleled.
California is a gardener's dream. Our Mediterranean climate allows us to have fantastic gardens showcasing a wide variety of ornamental plants from all around the world. Some of those plants have become aggressive garden nuisances and others are invasive plants that threaten California’s biodiversity and economy.
One of the main themes of this Greek tragedy is that no one can change his or her fate that has been predetermined by the gods. One example of this is when Teiresias is
Since the days of the ancient Greeks, music has been an integral part of drama and theatre. Many composers wrote music to accompany plays, and sometimes the music became more well-known than the play it was written for … It
The use of the flute in the play, Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller enhances the work’s meaning and heightens the literature’s level of art. Throughout the play, the flute makes numerous appearances, each time bringing much symbolism to the scene. The flute represents Willy, the protagonist's, memories of his father. As the play begins, flute music plays symbolizing Willy’s overwhelming life as well as his abandonment issues. The flute appears again and portrays Willy’s father’s haunting him. In Act II, the flute resurfaces to portray the hardship Willy faces as a result of his father’s leaving him isolated. As the play comes to a close, the flute music plays for the last time to finish the ongoing theme of desertion that Willy feels. The symbol of the flute in the play greatly enhances the plot and adds another dimension of art to the play.
Many of the characters in the play are stuck playing a comedic role or a dramatic role, but Flute is one of the characters that gets to play both, again, making him a much more rounded character. Playing the part of Thisbe requires
Aristotle describes the perfect relatable tragedy as being “That of a man who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought on not by vice or depravity, but by error or frailty.” This error-induced misfortune is not only the keystone of cautionary tales, but is also the story of King Agamemnon's life. The first mistake he made was the sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigenia, who was offered to the gods so the winds would guide Greece to victory against the Trojans. This decision to put war and glory ahead of family lead to his eventual