The Best Translation of Alcestis
Alcestis was written in Ancient Greek. 2 recommended editions, ranked — with Gröblé’s verdict on which to read first.
David Kovacs
Harvard University Press · 1994
Kovacs's Loeb with facing-page Greek is the standard modern scholarly Euripides, precise and reliable. This volume bundles Cyclops and the other early plays alongside Alcestis.
Every recommended edition, compared
The Grene and Lattimore Complete Greek Tragedies workhorse. Lattimore's verse is faithful and dignified, occasionally stiff, and it's still what most classrooms run on.
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Reading Alcestis in translation
Alcestis was written in Ancient Greek, so unless you read Ancient Greek, the translator decides the book you actually experience — its register, its pace, how it sounds read aloud. Two editions of the same work can feel like different books.
The ranking above is Gröblé’s: one reader’s verdict on which English gets you closest, not a publisher’s blurb. Start with the top pick; reach for the others when you want a different angle on the original.