The concept of ΝΟΜΟΣ and the definition of characters in Alcestis

Abstract

A rhetorical strategy that Euripides manages to create characters is to get them to appear before the public as someone worthy of credibility, managing a technique that generally agrees with the principles set out in Aristotle’s Rhetoric when he talks about how a speaker should be displayed persuasive. In the case of Alcestis, the mood of the characters is tested in contrast to their attitude to the rules, νόμος. He questions to what extent human relations must be only regulated by law or if on the contrary it is fairer to beyond what is legal. The initial dialogue of Apollo and Death and the confrontation between Feres and Admetus are scenes in which more clearly the contrast of views on the implications of νόμος is used as an instrument defining the personality of the characters.