of his own.  It has been maintained that Browning’s interpretation of the spiritual significance of the drama is a beautiful perversion of the purpose of the Greek poet; that Admetos needs no purification; that in accepting his wife’s offer to be his substitute in dying, the king was no craven but a king who recognised duty to the state as his highest duty.  The general feeling of readers of the play does not fall in with this ingenious plea.  Browning, as appears from his imagined recast of the theme, which follows the transcript, had considered and rejected it.  If Admetos is to be in some degree justified, it can only be by bearing in mind that the fact by which he shall himself escape from death is of Apollo’s institution, and that obedience to the purpose of Apollo rendered self-preservation a kind of virtue.  But Admetos makes no such defence of his action when replying to the reproaches of his father, and he anticipates that the verdict of the world will be against him.  Browning undoubtedly presses the case against Admetos far more strongly than does Euripides, who seems to hold that a man weak in one respect, weak when brought to face the test of death, may yet be strong in the heroic mastery of grief which is imposed upon him by the duties of hospitality.  Readers of the Winter’s Tale have sometimes wondered whether there could be much rapture of joy in the heart of the silent Hermione when she received back her unworthy husband.  If Admetos remained at the close of the play what he is understood by Browning to have been at its opening, reunion with a self-lover so base could hardly have flushed with gladness the spirit of Alkestis just escaped from the shades.[111] But Alkestis, who had proved her own loyalty by deeds, values deeds more than words.  When dying she had put her love into an act, and had refrained from mere words of wifely tenderness; death put an end to her services to her husband; she felt towards him as any wife, if Browning’s earlier poem be true, may feel to any husband; but still she could render a service to her children, and she exacts from Admetos the promise that he will never place a stepmother over them.  His allegiance to this vow is an act, and it shall be for Alkestis the test of his entire loyalty.  And the good Herakles, who enjoys a glorious jest amazingly, and who by that jest can benevolently retort upon Admetos for his concealment of Alkestis’ death—­for now the position is reversed and the king shall receive her living, and yet believe her dead—­Herakles contrives to put Admetos to that precise test which is alone sufficient to assure Alkestis of his fidelity.  Words are words; but here is a deed, and Admetos not only adheres to his pledge, but demonstrates to her that for him to violate it is impossible.  She may well accept him as at length proved to be her very own.