A cena de agón na Alceste de Euripides

In this study, I examine the agon scene in Euripides' Alcestis. The agon is placed in the 4th episode, when Alcestis' corpse has recieved all preparations for the funeral, and Admeto has already accomodated Heracles in the palace, without telling him, however, about the last occurrences. This episode is the biggest of the play with 360 verses, what could cause the prolongation of the action and consequently the decline of the emotional tonus. Nevertheless, Euripides has composed this episode with very diversified elements, that it could be divided in scenes, what confers certain agitily to the events succession that accelerates the end of the play. I took as basis the commentaries by A. M. Dale and by L P. E. Parker, and whenever necessary, I have also recurred to the James Diggle?s and D. J Conacher?s editions. Another important text for the present discussion of the agon in Alcestis is the book by Michael Lloyd, The Agon in Euripides

Dinoflagellate cyst assemblages, Mg/Ca based reconstructed temperatures, stable carbon isotopes, and geochemical parameters of sediment core GeoB9508-5

In order to investigate a possible connection between tropical northeast (NE) Atlantic primary productivity, Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC), and drought in the Sahel region during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1), we used dinoflagellate cyst (dinocyst) assemblages, Mg/Ca based reconstructed temperatures, stable carbon isotopes (d13C) and geochemical parameters of a marine sediment core (GeoB 9508-5) from the continental slope offshore Senegal. Our results show a two-phase productivity pattern within HS1 that progressed from an interval of low marine productivity between ~ 19 and 16 kyr BP to a phase with an abrupt and large productivity increase from ~ 16 to 15 kyr BP. The second phase is characterized by distinct heavy planktonic d13C values and high concentrations of heterotrophic dinocysts in addition to a significant cooling signal based on reconstructions of past sea surface temperatures (SST). We conclude that productivity variations within HS1 can be attributed to a substantial shift of West African atmospheric processes. Taken together our results indicate a significant intensification of the North East (NE) trade winds over West Africa leading to more intense upwelling during the last millennium of HS1 between ~ 16 and 15 kyr BP, thus leaving a strong imprint on the dinocyst assemblages and sea surface conditions. Therefore, the two-phase productivity pattern indicates a complex hydrographic setting suggesting that HS1 cannot be regarded as uniform as previously thought.