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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 symbol of light. At the beginning of the play, he has just been freed from slavery in Admetos’s palace, to which he’d been sentenced by Zeus. During his time there, he became Admetos’s loyal friend, even tricking the Fates so that Admetos wouldn’t be doomed to an early death. Apollo prophesies that Herakles will soon come to defeat Death.
Apollo Quotes in Alcestis
The Alcestis quotes below are all either spoken by Apollo or refer to Apollo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 1-40
Quotes
APOLLO: House of Admetos, farewell.
Apollo takes his leave of you,
dear house . . . though it was here that I endured
what no god should ever be compelled to bear.
Here, with serfs and laborers, I ate the bread of slavery.
He turns to the audience.
I do not blame Admetos.
The author of my shame was Zeus. He killed
my son Asklepios, stabbing him through the heart
with his fatal lightning. And I in anger
retaliated. I killed the one-eyed Cyclopes
because they forged for Zeus those blazing bolts
in which my son died. And so,
in punishment, Zeus doomed me,
a god, to this duress,
constraining me to be the bond-slave
of a death-bound man.
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Related Themes:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Lines 680-914
Quotes
CHORUS: Hospitality is here.
What house could be more gracious or more generous
than this? Open-handed, always prodigal and free,
its master gives such lavish welcoming
that one might think his guests were gods.
Great gods have sheltered here.
Here Apollo, god of Delphi, condescending,
came, his high divinity constrained to serve
as shepherd for a year. And down these blessed hills,
to mating flocks the god of music sang the season’s song…
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Alcestis LitChart as a printable PDF.
Apollo Quotes in Alcestis
The Alcestis quotes below are all either spoken by Apollo or refer to Apollo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Lines 1-40
Quotes
APOLLO: House of Admetos, farewell.
Apollo takes his leave of you,
dear house . . . though it was here that I endured
what no god should ever be compelled to bear.
Here, with serfs and laborers, I ate the bread of slavery.
He turns to the audience.
I do not blame Admetos.
The author of my shame was Zeus. He killed
my son Asklepios, stabbing him through the heart
with his fatal lightning. And I in anger
retaliated. I killed the one-eyed Cyclopes
because they forged for Zeus those blazing bolts
in which my son died. And so,
in punishment, Zeus doomed me,
a god, to this duress,
constraining me to be the bond-slave
of a death-bound man.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Lines 680-914
Quotes
CHORUS: Hospitality is here.
What house could be more gracious or more generous
than this? Open-handed, always prodigal and free,
its master gives such lavish welcoming
that one might think his guests were gods.
Great gods have sheltered here.
Here Apollo, god of Delphi, condescending,
came, his high divinity constrained to serve
as shepherd for a year. And down these blessed hills,
to mating flocks the god of music sang the season’s song…
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
