A tragedy with a surprisingly tender, even tragicomic tone. King Admetus has been granted the chance to escape his own death if someone will die in his place, and his wife Alcestis agrees. As the household mourns, the hero Heracles arrives as a guest, and the host's sense of duty and hospitality is tested. The play considers love, sacrifice, grief and selfishness, and it was performed in the place where a satyr play would normally have stood.