驯服死亡——欧里庇得斯《阿尔刻斯提斯》开场解析

The Tamingof Death:An Interpretation of the Prologue of Euripides'Alcestis

在《阿尔刻斯提斯》中,欧里庇得斯(Euripides)以一种独具诗性的想象力,处理了人类无可逃避的必死性问题。通过想象出死亡的替代品,欧里庇得斯不仅改写了死亡的自然特性,还隐含了驯服死亡的冲动和欲望,并借此透露出对由替死引发的正义与伦理问题的隐忧。阿波罗(Apollo)通过“诓骗”命运女神向他的“替死”方案妥协,重启了让人类逃脱必死性的进程,随后还在与死神的角力中试图以智术对抗自然。

In the Alcestis,Euripides deals with the matter of necessity with extraordinary poetic imagination.By imaging a substitute to die instead of Admetus,Euripides not only changes the characteristics of death,but also hints at the impulse and desire to tame it,where lies his concern about the issues of justice and ethics entailed in it.Apollo resumes his mortal son Asclepius'attempt to help human beings escape from necessity(mortality);later in his wrestle with Thanatos,the god of Death,Apollo tries to fight against nature with sophistry.