And I am not here neglecting the problems of generic identification or of the interpretation of the happy ending (or so-called "happy ending") or any of the other plaguey things that critics have worried about. Readers, however need not trouble themselves with most of the critics' quibbles; it is possible to read a book and never think about what genre it is. But it is Admetus' role that can make an otherwise reasonable and erudite classicist (at another institution) say that he cannot read the Alcestis with students because it is such an immoral play. This I would call a problem.