1. Theater at Epidaurus Menander’s Grouch (Duskolos) The Mirror of Life? Menander

2. Dionysus My word! You do look like one of the Cadmus daughters. Pentheus Yes, yes: I’d say I see two suns, a double city Thebes, twin sets of seven gates, and a bull seems to beckon me. He walks before me. Now I’d say your head was horned … or were you an animal all the while? (Euripides Bacchae p. 108) Dionysus & Pentheus come out of latter’s palace…

3. “O Menander and Life: Which of you has imitated the other?” (Aristophanes of Byzantium)

4. 4 Agenda  Menandrian Drama Your Responses…  New Comedy  Menander’s Grouch Playwright, Play  Menander’s Grouch What Would Plato Say? What Would You Say Back?

5. Menandrian Drama Your Responses…

6. What does this play seem to you most / least to resemble... among plays read for class? among modern forms of entertainment? What do you think of / how do you res- pond to... the style of humor? the characters? Study Guide Questions

7. 7 So, what did you think?  liked - like a sitcom romantic plot meet the parents –shallow - meet the parents –ordinary folks –one god only »tragic?? »midsummer’s night dream »all’s well that ends well

8. New Comedy

9. 9 Attic Comedy  “Old Comedy” 486-ca. 388 BCE Aristophanes et al.  “Middle Comedy” ca. 388-330s BCE Alexis et al.  “New Comedy” 330s-200s BCE Menander et al. Old man being pushed up stairs

10. Alexander’s Empire

11. Slave tells lovers the bad news … Stock Characters of Old Comedy  Freeborn citizen youth/girl (romantic leads, Sostratos, “Girl”)  Clever slave (Getas ?)  Old men severe (Knemon) miserly (Kallipides) tolerant  Prostitute predatory benevolent  Pimp/madam  Parasite/side-kick (Chaireas)  Boastful mercenary

12. Freeborn romantic leads Boastful mercenary (parasite/side- kick not shown) Clever slave Modern New Comedy? (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast)

13. 13 New Comedy - Dramaturgy  Structure 5 acts  Chorus embolia - entr’actes  “Formula” Dilemma –love thwarted –extremes unmediated –social-familial ties weakened Solution –“low” facilitator Celebration Slave tells lovers the bad news …

14. Euripides’ Bacchae (Dismemberment of Pentheus)

15. Menander’s Grouch Playwright, Play

16. 16 Playwright: Menander (342/1-293/89)  Well-to-do student of Theophrastus (?) –student of Aristotle  105 plays  8 victories

17. Extent of Macedonian Conquests Setting: Phyle, Athenian countryside

18. Stage “Set” skene (stage building) doors Shrine of Pan and the Nymphs Gorgias’ house Knemon’s house

19. The Families  Knemon’s Household Knemon "Girl" Simiche  Gorgias’ Household Gorgias Myrrhine Daos  Kallipides’ Household Kallipides Mother of Sostratos Sostratos Getas, slave of Kallipides  Other Chaireas Pyrrhias Sikon Pan

20. mēden agan “Nothing to Excess” (?) Theme and Message

21. 21 New Comedy - Dramaturgy  Structure 5 acts  Chorus embolia - entr’actes  “Formula” Dilemma –love thwarted –extremes unmediated –social-familial ties weakened Solution –“low” facilitator Celebration  Grouch formula? Dilemma –teach Knemon a lesson –get the girl –teach Sostratos a lesson Solution –Sostratos saves Knemon –farms Celebration –sacrificial-wedding feast

22. Menander’s Grouch What Would Plato Say? What Would You Say Back?

23. Closing Thoughts

24. 24  Athenian drama is/was … theater? literature? social ritual?  Genre, structure, themes? tragedy, satyr drama, comedy  Purpose/value? Course Questions (PowerPoint 1/23)

25. Dionysus Ariadne Komos (comedy) Tragedy Wine-Mixing Bowl (krater), ca. 430 BCE