Alcestis by Ted Hughes

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Alcestis by Ted Hughes Alcestis is a Greek play originally written by Euripides in 438BC but was rewritten by Ted Hughes in 1997 in order to modernise it. Ted Hughes’ Alcestis uses Greek Dramatic Form in the modern theatre. Greek dramatic form is the use of the chorus, masks, using only one scene, lack of lighting, use of Gods as almighty people, catharsis etc. The intention of Greek theatre was to teach Greek citizens about the religious side to the play but the intention in modern theatre is to entertain the audience. I believe that Ted Hughes combines these theatre forms very well to create an all-round entertaining play. The chorus in Greek theatre was used to comment on the actions and feelings of the characters. For example when Alcestis gives her life for Admetos the chorus comments on the situation “The noblest woman dying in such a horrible fashion, she tortures others almost as much as she tortures herself.” The chorus here is describing the grief of others as torture. Torture is quite a horrible word so this says how distraught others were at this period of time. Ted Hughes has kept the chorus in the modernised version because it would be hard to find something or someone to take its place in the play. Ted Hughes has kept to the authentic Greek scenery form. The Greeks traditionally only had one background on a wall called the ‘Skene’. All Greek plays were set at one place only. In Alcestis’ case this was the ‘Palace of Thessaly’. If something were to happen at another location, it would not be acted out, just described by another character who witnessed the event. For example when the maid describes Alcestis on the morning of her death by the river: “She bathed in the fresh depth of the river. She dipped her white flawless body into the bright current”. This is a typical Greek descriptive passage of when something has taken
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