Alcestis In Plain and Simple English (Digital Download)

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Buy Alcestis In Plain and Simple English Now! Do you need to understand Alcestis and want something more interactive? Try our free app, SwipeSpeare! Excerpt From Alcestis In Plain and Simple English ALCESTIS The scene represents the ancient Castle of ADMETUS near Pheraein Thessaly. It is the dusk before dawn; APOLLO, radiant in thedarkness, looks at the Castle. APOLLO.The house of Admetus! This is where I was subservientIn the past, and did not turn down the food of a servant,Although I was born in heaven. Yes, Zeus had killedMy son, Asclepios, the Healer of the World,Stabbing him with fire in his heart; in my angerI killed his servants, the Cyclops, who made the fire.Then Zeus threw me out of heaven to workAs a servant to a mortal man. I came to these people,And watched over the flocks of a stranger for payment,And I have watched over and helped this family since then.The Lord I happened to come to was innocentAnd had a heart as pure as my own, he was the son of King Pheres,Admetus. I saved him from death,Persuading the Grey Sisters until they sworeThat Admetus could be spared,If he would just pay the underworld the priceOf another living soul. For a long time he tried to find someoneAmongst all his family, and everyone who owed him love,But he never found a soul who would give up his lifeAnd leave this earth for him, apart from his wife:Right now she is being carried through the funeral paths,Stabbed by death; for this is the dayWhen she has to leave the light and die.And, as the stain of death cannot come anywhere nearMy brightness, I must leave this house which I love.But look! There is the executioner of hell, here on earth,Come to assault her! Yes, he has been watching patiently,And now he comes when fate decrees. Enter from the other side THANATOS; a crouching black-haired andwinged figure, carrying a drawn sword. He starts in revulsion onseeing APOLLO. THANATOS.Aha!Why are you here? What are you doing at the gate,You being of light? Will you try to defeatThe judgement of heaven, and stealThose things which rightly belong to the dead?It seems it wasn't enough for you to have stoppedThe death of Admetus in the past,With your cunning magic wine, whichDeceived the three Grey Sisters of the grave;But now I see you once againStanding watch, threateningWith your arrows in your hands that you will takeThis woman for yourself, who swore faithfullyThat she would die at this time in place of her husband. APOLLO.Do not worry.I have come with fair speech and only want justice. THANATOS (sneering)And if your words don't work, you will use force? APOLLO.I always carry this bow with me. THANATOS.And you will help this family against the laws of justice? Yes, that's it. APOLLO.I love this man, and I am sorry he is upset. THANATOS.And now you want to steal my second victim from me! APOLLO.I never robbed you, not then and not now. THANATOS.In that case why is Admetus still on earth, not down below? APOLLO.He gave his own wife as a hostage, for whom… THANATOS (interrupting).I am here; and I will take her straight to the grave. APOLLO.Go on, take her. I can't change your heart. THANATOS (mocking).To stop me killing those who doomed? No; I will do my job. APOLLO.No. To let people live long lives. THANATOS (still mocking).That would please you, would it? Of course I owe you great service. APOLLO.Ah, so she could still… She can still grow old? THANATOS (with a laugh).No! I have my rights as well, and I insist on them. APOLLO.For whatever happens you will only get one life. THANATOS.It's a greater prize for me when they die young. APOLLO.If she dies old, they will bury her with great treasure. THANATOS.You can get lost! You're trying to look after the rich men! APOLLO.What's that? Does death, who seems so blind, have wit? THANATOS.Rich men would try to buy long life for themselves. APOLLO.So you won't do me this favour? Is that it? THANATOS.You know what I'm like, who I am: I'm telling you, no! APOLLO.I know that you can make the gods ill and make men suffer. THANATOS.Get lost! In your greed you have captured too manyThings which were not meant for you; but you won't have them all! APOLLO.I swear, for all your bitter pride, a fallIs coming your way. Even now a conquerorIs coming to this house, sent by a southern KingTo get him four wild horses, of the typeWhich tear apart the bodies of men in Thrace.This household will give him a warm welcome, and heWill steal this woman back from you and your worms.So you will give up everything to me, and all you will winIs hatred, not the kindness you could have won. [Exit APOLLO.] THANATOS.Say what you like! Your threats won't get the womanBack from me. Whatever happens, sheWill been lying in hell. Even as I speakI am on my way to strike her with my sword.Everyone whose head is visited by this grey swordMust go to death and the Lords of hell. [THANATOS goes into the house. Presently, as the day grows lighter,the CHORUS enters: it consists of Citizens of Pherae, who speakseverally.] CHORUS. LEADER.Quiet, quiet, above and below! SECOND ELDER.The household of Admetus is holding its breath. THIRD ELDER.And there is not a friend of the King nearbyTo tell us whether we should be cryingFor the daughter of Pelias, crowned and dead;Or whether we should be happy, that she is still alive.She is the bravest and most loyal wifeI have ever seen, or that the world will ever see. DIVERS CITIZENS, conversing.(The dash -- indicates a new speaker.) Do you not hear any weeping, or the noise of handsBeating their chests? No mourners cryingFor someone they cannot save? Nothing: and there is no maid servantStanding there at the door. Help us, oh Paian,Rise up, star beyond the seas! Is she dead, and everything this quiet? No, this cannot be.Dead, dead! Surely she hasn't been secretly buried? What? I am still afraid: what makes you so certain? Would Admetus send his dear wife to the graveAlone, without witnesses? I do not see a bowl of clear spring water.That is always placed in front ofThe door of a house where a dead man lies. There is no lock of hair! Every woman'sDaughter cuts it off when their mother dies.There is no sound of beaten chests! But this is the day… Surely this is the day? The day that the Queen should die and be buried. This tears at my life, my heart! All honest menMust grieve for the loss of such brightness,A good life taken from us. LEADER.Wandering over thousands of miles,Searching over the empty seas,To where the Prophets of Lycia live,Or where the three daughters of AmmonWrite their words in the sands of the desert,To look for magic to make free–It is all in vain! The end has come;It comes suddenly and sharp.What magic is there, what spellWhich could be made which could comfort me? SECOND ELDER.There is only one he could do that:He was the son of Apollo,He healed men, long ago.If he was on earth to see this,He would rise up from the darkness belowAnd those eternal gates.He took men whom the gods had killedAnd pitied them and brought them back to life;Until Zeus killed him with fire,And now, who can help us? OTHERS.Everything that could be done has been done. Every promiseHas been kept; and every altar has beenFully stocked with sacrifices.There is no hope of a reprieve now. Enter from the Castle a HANDMAID, almost in tears. LEADER.But look, a handmiad is coming, with the tearsWet on her cheek! What news will we hear?We understand your grief, daughter, if some bad thingHas happened today. Tell us, is your mistressStill alive, or dead? Tell us, if you can. MAID.Alive. No, dead… Oh, take it which way you will. LEADER.No, daughter, can the same soul be living and dead? MAID.Her life is over, you can see death in her eyes. LEADER.Poor King, thinking of what she has been, and what you are! MAID.He never knew what she was worth… He will realise it now. LEADER.I guess there is no hope of saving her now? MAID.The hour of death has come, and no man can resist it. LEADER.She is being looked after as well as possible? MAID.Certainly, and fine clothes are laid out ready for her burial. LEADER.By God, she dies with a great heart,With far more honour than any other wife! MAID.Far above any other! What others? What wouldSomeone who wanted to be better than this woman be like?How could any wife show more devotionTo her Lord, than by dying for his sake?But everyone in the city knows this. It is here,In her own house, that you will hear a storyThat is very strange. When she knew her time had come,She got up and washed herself, her body white as foam,With running water; then she opened her cedar closet,And took out her funeral clothesAnd rich accessories. So she stood dressed like thatIn front of her own home fire, and prayed:“Mother, since I must leave the daylight,This is the last time I will kneel to you and pray;Be a mother to my two children! Find a sweetWife for him, some kind Lord for her.Do not let them, like I am, die beforeTheir natural time; let them live happily, in ourAncient home, until they have lived a full life and reached a good age."Then she went to every altar in the houseAnd placed on each one a garlandMade from the wild myrtle trees, and she was seenPraying, with no sobbing, no tears.She knew the terrible thing that was coming, butHer face never changed colour: until suddenly she ranBack to her own room and her bridal bed:Then the tears came, and she said everything she was thinking.“Oh bed, where my happy childhood innocenceWas taken by this man, for whom I am dying,Farewell! It is you… I say without bitterness…It is you who has killed me. I go alone,To make sure I am not false him all to you. And perhaps Some other woman will lie here instead of me–Maybe happier; she cannot be more faithful."She kissed the pillow as she knelt there, andThose fine blankets were soaked with her tears.At last she had finished weeping; thenShe tore herself away and got up again,Walking with her eyes on the ground; but beforeShe left the room she turned, and knelt downBy the bed once again. Then her children cameTo her side, and held onto her and cried,And she hugged them, and she said a long goodbyeTo each one, like someone who is going to death.The whole household was then weeping, every slaveWas grieving for his mistress. And she held outHer hands to all of them; there was not a single one so lowThat she did not say kind words to him, and he responded.So Admetus gets sorrow fromBoth directions. It would have been a terrible grief to himTo have had to die; and having escaped death, what great sorrowHe has in its place–ah, someday he will understand! Show more