King Admetos
Admetos is the King of Thessaly, a small kingdom in northern Greece. He is married to Alcestis. Before the play begins, Admetos is doomed by the Fates to an early death, but his friend…
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Alcestis
Alcestis is the queen of Thessaly, Admetos’s wife. She agrees to die an early death in Admetos’s place. She is described as “incomparably a queen,” courageous in the face of death, pious before the…
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Herakles
Herakles is a son of Zeus, half-divine, and Greece’s strongest hero. He is compelled by King Eurystheus to perform various difficult labors and is resigned to a life of struggle and fighting. While unerringly faithful…
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Pheres
Pheres is Admetos’s elderly father. He and his wife both refuse to die in Admetos’s place. He and Admetos have a heated confrontation in the middle of the play, when Pheres brings funeral gifts…
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Apollo
Apollo is a god of the Greek pantheon. He is the deity of a number of things, including prophecy, healing, speech, and light. Along with Alcestis, he is associated with the play’s prominent…
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Chorus Leader
The chorus leader represents the chorus as a whole, interacting directly with Admetos and his household. In particular, he praises Alcestis as an incomparable queen and questions the actions of major characters, such as Herakles…
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Chorus
The chorus comprises a group of elderly men of Pherai. They have a mediating function between audience and actors in the play, commenting on and providing context for the action. They grieve Alcestis’s death…
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Minor Characters
Death
Death is personified as a winged, black-clad figure who carries a sword and is always punctual. He is portrayed as sarcastic and insistent upon his rightful due. He mocks Apollo, but as the god predicts, Death is later defeated by Herakles, forcing him to release Alcestis from Hades.
Servant
Admetos’s cranky, scowling servant complains about Herakles’s rowdy behavior while Herakles is a guest during Alcestis’s funeral. After Herakles gives a drunken speech about mortality, the servant informs him of the truth about Alcestis’s death.
Maid
Alcestis’s loyal maid speaks with the chorus leader before Alcestis’s death, reporting Alcestis’s brave and pious behavior while preparing to die. She also predicts that Admetos won’t understand his loss of Alcestis until it’s too late, and that his life will be bitter as a result.
