SOURCE: Conacher, D. J. Introduction to Alcestis, by Euripides, translated and edited by D. J. Conacher, pp. 29-55. Wiltshire, England: Aris & Phillips Ltd, 1988.

In the following excerpt, Conacher provides background on the Alcestis, explores the question of whether it should be considered a satyr-play, and analyzes its themes and structure.

I. Ancient Information

Our information concerning the date and other features of the production of the Alcestis is drawn from the second “Hypothesis” to our play …. A “Hypothesis”, in this context, refers to a notice, dating back to the time of the Alexandrian editing of Greek tragedies (and, possibly, sometimes earlier), which was prefixed in our MSS to most of the extant plays, and provided what was to be understood as the basis of the play concerned. Some Hypotheses, such as the first one (attributed to Dicaearchus) to the Alcestis, give only a bare outline either of the...