(1) περὶ Ἀλκήστιδος εἴρηται μῦθος τραγικώδης, ὡς δή, μέλλοντός ποτε Ἀδμήτου ἀποθανεῖσθαι, αὕτη εἵλετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ θανεῖν, καὶ ὡς Ἡρακλῆς αὐτὴν διὰ τὴν εὐσέβειαν ἀφελόμενος τὸν Θάνατον [καὶ ἀναγαγὼν ἐκ τοῦ Ἅιδου] ἀπέδωκεν Ἀδμήτῳ. (2) ἐμοὶ δὲ δοκεῖ μηδένα ἀποθανόντα δύνασθαί τινα ἀναβιῶναι ποιῆσαι. (3) ἀλλ’ ἐγένετο τοιόνδε τι. (4) ἐπειδὴ Πελίαν ἀπέκτειναν αἱ θυγατέρες, Ἄκαστος ὁ Πελίου ἐδίωκεν αὐτὰς ἀνταποκτεῖναι θέλων ἀντὶ τοῦ πατρός. (5) καὶ τὰς μὲν ἄλλας λαμβάνει· Ἄλκηστις δὲ φεύγει εἰς Φερὰς πρὸς Ἄδμητον ἀνεψιὸν αὐτῆς, καὶ καθεζομένην ἐπὶ τῆς ἑστίας οὐκ ἠδύνατο Ἄδμητος Ἀκάστῳ ἔκδοτον ἐξαιτουμένῳ δοῦναι. (6) ὁ δὲ παρακαθίσας στρατιὰν πολλὴν περὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐπυρπόλει αὐτούς. (7) ἐπεξιὼν δὲ ὁ Ἄδμητος νύκτωρ, ἐντυχὼν λοχαγοῖς συνελήφθη ζῶν. (8) ἠπείλει δὲ Ἄκαστος ἀποκτεῖναι αὐτόν, εἰ μὴ παραδώσει τὴν <Ἄλκηστιν> ἱκέτιν οὖσαν. (9) πυθομένη οὖν Ἄλκηστις ὅτι μέλλει ἀναιρεῖσθαι Ἄδμητος δι’ αὐτήν, ἐξελθοῦσα ἑαυτὴν παρέδωκε. (10) τὸν μὲν οὖν Ἄδμητον ἀφίησιν Ἄκαστος, ἐκείνην δὲ συλλαμβάνει. (11) ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι “ἀνδρεία γε ἡ Ἄλκηστις· ἑκοῦσα ὑπεραπέθανεν Ἀδμήτου.” (12) τοῦτο μέντοι οὐκ ἐγένετο, ὡς ὁ μῦθός φησι. (13) κατὰ γὰρ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν Ἡρακλῆς ἧκεν ἔκ τινος τόπου ἄγων τὰς Διομήδους ἵππους. (14) τοῦτον ἐκεῖσε πορευόμενον ἐξένισεν Ἄδμητος. (15) ὀδυρομένου δὲ τοῦ Ἀδμήτου τὴν συμφορὰν τῆς Ἀλκήστιδος, ἀνακτησάμενος Ἡρακλῆς ἐπιτίθεται τῷ Ἀκάστῳ καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν αὐτοῦ διαφθείρει· καὶ τὰ μὲν λάφυρα τῇ ἑαυτοῦ στρατιᾷ διανέμει, τὴν δὲ Ἄλκηστιν τῷ Ἀδμήτῳ παραδίδωσιν. (16) ἔλεγον οὖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ὡς ἐντυχὼν Ἡρακλῆς ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου ἐρρύσατο τὴν Ἄλκηστιν. (17) τούτων γενομένων ὁ μῦθος ἀνεπλάσθη.
notes
Alcestis was the wife of Admetus, the king of Pherae in Thessaly. When Admetus was younger, the god Apollo had promised that he could escape his natural (or fated) death if he found someone else to die willingly in his place. When the time came, Alcestis offered herself as his substitute and died in place of Admetus. When Heracles learned of her death, he rescued Alcestis from the underworld and returned her to Admetus.
For the tragic play that Palaephatus is responding to, see Euripides, Alcestis; see also Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.9.15.
1
εἴρηται: 3rd sing. pf. indic. pass. > λέγω.
μέλλοντός … Ἀδμήτου ἀποθανεῖσθαι: genitive absolute.
εἵλετο ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ θανεῖν: “she volunteered to die on his behalf.”
εἵλετο: 3rd sing. aor. indic. mid. > αἱρέω; lit., “to take for oneself.”
αὐτὴν … ἀφελόμενος τὸν Θάνατον: “having rescued her from Death.”
ἀφελόμενος: ptc. sing. aor. mid. masc. nom. > ἀφαιρέω, lit., “removing X (acc.) from Y (acc.).”
[καὶ ἀναγαγὼν ἐκ τοῦ Ἅιδου]: Festa considered these words to an ancient addition not by Palaephatus.
2
μηδένα ἀποθανόντα … τινα … ἀναβιῶναι ποιῆσαι: the overall sense is “I do not think anyone can make a dead person live again.” Τινα is the indefinite accusative subject of δύνασθαι/ποιῆσαι, while μηδένα ἀποθανόντα is the accusative subject of ἀναβιῶναι after ποιῆσαι.
4
ἀντὶ τοῦ πατρός: “in retaliation/revenge for his father.”
5
τὰς μὲν ἄλλας: “the rest (of the daughters).”
Ἄλκηστις δὲ: “except Alcestis,” the δέ correlates with τὰς μὲν ἄλλας above.
αὐτῆς: refers to Alcestis.
καθεζομένην ἐπὶ τῆς ἑστίας: by sitting at Admetus’s hearth, Alcestis offers herself as a suppliant to her cousin, and is thus entitled to his protection.
ἔκδοτον … δοῦναι: the adjective ἔκδοτος combines with verbs like ποιεῖν, παρέχειν, and διδόναι to mean, “to hand over … entirely to (dat.)” (LSJ ἔκδοτος Ι).
6
ὁ δὲ: “And he,” referring to Acastus.
αὐτούς: refers to the population of Pherae.
7
συνελήφθη: 3rd sing. aor. indic. pass. > συλλαμβάνω.
8
ἠπείλει δὲ Ἄκαστος ἀποκτεῖναι αὐτόν, εἰ μὴ παραδώσει: future condition used in a threat, “He threatened to kill him unless he handed over.”
ἠπείλει: 3rd sing. impf. indic. act. > ἀπειλέω.
ἱκέτιν οὖσαν: participle has a concessive force here, “although she was a suppliant.”
9
οὖν: the particle marks a turning point in the narrative.
δι’ αὐτήν: “because of her.”
ἐξελθοῦσα: ptc. sing. aor. act. fem. nom. > ἐξέρχομαι.
10
οὖν: the particle marks a turning point in the narrative.
ἀφίησιν … συλλαμβάνει: historical present. Used in narratives to underscore turning points. Translate as past tense.
11
οὖν: the particle marks a turning point in the narrative. Here, it is from what happened to what was said about what happened, i.e., from deeds to words.
12
μέντοι: the particle is adversative, “but,” “and yet.”
ὡς: “as.”
13
κατὰ γὰρ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν: “for at that moment.”
ἔκ: take accents the acute because it is followed by an enclitic, τινος.
14
τοῦτον: refers to Heracles.
15
ὀδυρομένου δὲ τοῦ Ἀδμήτου: genitive absolute.
ἀνακτησάμενος Ἡρακλῆς: “having befriended (Admetus), Heracles” (LSJ ἀνακτάομαι II).
16
οὖν: the particle marks a turning point in the narrative. Here, it is from what happened to what was said about what happened, i.e., from deeds to words.
ὡς ἐντυχὼν Ἡρακλῆς: “that Heracles, coming upon [Alcestis].”
17
τούτων γενομένων: genitive absolute.
vocabulary
1
Ἄλκηστις –ιδος, ἡ Alcestis, a mythical Greek princess from Iolcus
μῦθος –ου, ὁ tale
τραγικώδης –ες tragic
Ἄδμητος –ου, ὁ Admetus, a Greek king
Ἡρακλῆς –έους, ὁ Heracles, the Greek hero
εὐσέβεια –ας, ἡ piety
ἀνάγω, ἀνάξω, ἀνήγαγον, —, ἀνῆγμαι, ἀνήχθην to lead up, bring back
ᾍδης –ου, ὁ Hades; the underworld
2
ἀναβιόω, ἀναβιώσω, ἀνεβίων/ἀνεβίωσα, ἀναβεβίωκα, ἀναβεβίωμαι, ἀνεβιώθην to come back to life
4
Πελίας –ου, ὁ Pelias, mythical king of Iolcus
Ἄκαστος –ου, ὁ Acastus, Alcestis’ brother
ἀνταποκτείνω, ἀνταποκτενῶ, ἀνταπέκτεινα, —, —, — to kill in retaliation
5
Φεραί –ῶν, αἱ Pherae
ἀνεψιός –οῦ, ὁ cousin
καθέζομαι, —, —, —, —, — to sit
ἑστία –ας, ἡ hearth
ἔκδοτος –ον betrayed, surrendered
ἐξαιτέω, contr. to demand
6
παρακαθίζω, —, παρεκάθισα, παρακεκάθικα, —, — to position (something) nearby
στρατιά –ᾶς, ἡ army
πυρπολέω, contr. attack with fire; set on fire
7
ἐπέξειμι to go out
νύκτωρ, adv. at night
ἐντυγχάνω, –τεύξομαι, –έτυχον, –τετύχηκα, —, — to meet, encounter (+ dat.)
λοχαγός –οῦ, ὁ captain, commander
συλλαμβάνω, συλλήψομαι, συνέλαβον, συνείληφα, συνείλημμαι, συνελήφθην to seize, capture
8
ἀπειλέω, contr. to threaten
ἱκέτις –ιδος, ἡ suppliant
9
ἐξέρχομαι, ἐξελεύσομαι, ἐξῆλθα/ἐξῆλθον, ἐξελήλυθα, —, — to go out
11
ἀνδρεῖος –α –ον brave
ἑκών, ἑκοῦσα, ἑκόν willing(ly)
ὑπεραποθνῄσκω, ὑπεραποθανοῦμαι, ὑπεραπέθανον, —, —, — to die for someone (gen.)
13
Διομήδης –ους, ὁ Diomedes, mythological figure from Thrace
14
ἐκεῖσε, adv. to that place, thither
ξενίζω, ξενιῶ, ἐξένισα, ἐξένικα, ἐξένισμαι, ἐξενίσθην to receive as a guest; to host (someone)
15
ὀδύρομαι, ὀδυροῦμαι, ὠδυράμην, —, —, — to lament
συμφορά –ᾶς, ἡ misfortune
ἀνακτάομαι, ἀνακτήσομαι, ἀνεκτησάμην, —, ἀνέκτημαι, ἀνεκτήθην to befriend, win a person over
ἐπιτίθημι, ἐπιθήσω, ἐπέθηκα, ἐπιτέθεικα, ἐπιτέθειμαι, ἐπετέθην to attack (+ dat.)
λάφυρα –ων, τά spoils
διανέμω, διανεμῶ, διένειμα, διανενέμηκα, διανενέμημαι, διενεμήθην to distribute, divide up
16
(ἐ)ρύ(ο)μαι, ῥύσομαι, ἐρρυσάμην, —, —, — to rescue
17
ἀναπλάττω, ἀναπλάσω, ἀνέπλασα, ἀναπέπλακα, ἀναπέπλασμαι, ἀνεπλάσθην to form, mould