The Greek text of Euripides' Alcestis has been critically edited for this bilingual edition; the prose translation attempts to follow it verse by verse. The commentary, which assumes no knowledge of Greek on the part of the reader, explains questions of content and interpretation. The comprehensive introduction provides information on the historical background, the motifs of 'life exchange' and 'sacrificial death and return' in Greek myth and in Euripides' work, and on adaptations and modern interpretations.