deepest things in his heart; a constant motive in his poetry,
a master-thought in his life.

Gladness be with thee, Helper of our world!
I think this is the authentic sign and seal
Of Godship, that it ever waxes glad,
And more glad, until gladness blossoms, bursts
Into a rage to suffer for mankind,
And recommence at sorrow: drops like seed
After the blossom, ultimate of all.
Say, does the seed scorn earth and seek the sun?
Surely it has no other end and aim
Than to drop, once more die into the ground,
Taste cold and darkness and oblivion there:
And thence rise, tree-like grow through pain to joy,
More joy and most joy,--do man good again.

That is the truth Browning makes this woman have the insight to reveal.
Gladness of soul, becoming at one with sorrow and death and rising out
of them the conqueror, but always rejoicing, in itself, in the joy of
the universe and of God, is the root-heroic quality.

Then there is the crux of the play--Alkestis is to die for Admetos, and
does it. What of the conduct of Admetos? What does Balaustion, the
woman, think of that? She thinks Admetos is a poor creature for having
allowed it. When Alkestis is brought dying on the stage, and Admetos
follows, mourning over her, Balaustion despises him, and she traces in
the speech of Alkestis, which only relates to her children's fate and
takes no notice of her husband's protestations, that she has judged her
husband, that love is gone in sad contempt, that all Admetos has given
her is now paid for, that her death is a business transaction which has
set her free to think no more about him, only of her children. For, what
seems most pertinent for him to say, if he loved, "Take, O Fates, your
promise back, and take my life, not hers," he does not say. That is not
really the thought of Euripides.

Then, and this is subtly but not quite justly wrought into Euripides by
Balaustion, she traces through the play the slow awakening of the soul
of Admetos to the low-hearted thing he had done. He comes out of the
house, having disposed all things duteously and fittingly round the
dead, and Balaustion sees in his grave quietude that the truth is
dawning on him; when suddenly Pheres, his father, who had refused to die
for him, comes to lay his offering on the bier. This, Balaustion thinks,
plucks Admetos back out of unselfish thought into that lower atmosphere
in which he only sees his own advantage