Euripides and Menander

M. Andrewes

doi:10.1017/S0009838800006704

Euripides and Menander

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 February 2009

M. Andrewes

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M. Andrewes: Affiliation:
Bedford College, University of London

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Greek New Comedy, as we know it from references and fragmentary MSS., is the meeting-place of three confluent streams—comedy of manners, Aristophanic comedy, and tragedy. From Sicilian comedy, through Epicharmus at Syracuse and Crates and Pherecrates at Athens, it inherited certain stock stage figures, and a tradition of ‘invented’ plots and sententious speech. Old Comedy it resembled in its fun and informality and many stage conventions; and, indeed, the resemblance was so marked, in at least one of the later plays of Aristophanes, that the writer of his life, mistaking effect for cause, claimed the lost Cocalus as the original model of New Comedy. Perhaps most important of all was the influence of tragedy; and this influence may be estimated by a direct comparison between Euripides and Menander, both in the spirit and form of their plays and in the social and philosophic theories underlying them.

Type: Research Article
Information: The Classical Quarterly , Volume 18 , Issue 1 , January 1924 , pp. 1 - 10

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0009838800006704 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © The Classical Association 1924

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^{page 1 note 1} Cf. Kock, , Com. Att. Frag. 602, 531, 538, 669Google Scholar.

^{page 2 note 1} Cf. Eur. El. 550, fr. 345, 53, 54 (N.); Men. Mon. 20.

^{page 2 note 2} Ion 854; cf. Hel. 728, fr. 515, 828 (N.).

^{page 2 note 3} Men. K. 857; cf. Phil. K. 22, 95.

^{page 2 note 4} V. Phil. K. 31; Men. K. 1093.

^{page 2 note 5} Men. K. 370.

^{page 2 note 6} Men. K. 110.

^{page 2 note 7} Men. K. 370.

^{page 3 note 1} Iph. in Aul. 520.

^{page 3 note 2} Ib. 956; Hel. 744, fr. 793 (N.).

^{page 3 note 3} Ion 374.

^{page 3 note 4} Similar wording in Sophocles—i.e. Ant. 1055, El. results from a very different attitude.

^{page 3 note 5} Eur. fr. 963 (N.); Men. K. 852.

^{page 3 note 6} Eur. Hel. 757; Men. K. 225.

^{page 3 note 7} Men. K. 129, 319, 245.

^{page 3 note 8} Eur. Hip. 106; Men. K. 202.

^{page 3 note 9} Eur. Troad. 469, 886, fr. 480, 1263, 793; Phil. K. 118, 166; Men. γѵ. μоѵ. 474.

^{page 3 note 10} Eur. Troad. 886, fr. 1007 (N.).

^{page 3 note 11} Men. K. 762, 11, 769, 482.

^{page 3 note 12} Eur. Hec. 489, fr. 893, 508 et passim; cf. Men. Epitrep. v. 872.

^{page 3 note 13} V. Eur. Her. Fur. 309; Iph. Taur. 1486, 476; Phoen. 1202; Alc. 785, etc.

^{page 4 note 1} Anaxand. K. 4; Phil. K. III; Men. K. 483.

^{page 4 note 2} Eur. Hel. 716; Orest. 715; Ion 1412, etc.; Men. K. 94, 129, 598.

^{page 4 note 3} Eur. Alc. 785; Iph. T. 478; Men. K. 417b, 819.

^{page 4 note 4} Eur. Heracl. 866; cf. Diph. 45; Eur. fr. 553; en. K. 417a.

^{page 4 note 5} μικρóѵ τι τδ βίοѵ (Men. K. 410); σμικρ τ τо ββlѵ, Eur.

^{page 4 note 6} Philetaer. K. 7, 13; Amphis, K. 21; Alexis, K. 25, 219.

^{page 4 note 7} In the Ion it is immaterial whether the violation was nominally the work of a god or of a mortal, since Euripides would hardly accept unquestioningly a supernautural explansion—e.g. Ion 1523, and Bacch. 28.

^{page 5 note 1} Od. XIX. 386, XXI. 205; Aesch, . Choeph. 163 sqGoogle Scholar.; Soph. Oed. Tyr., and the lost Tereus, Tyro, Chryses, Aletes.

^{page 5 note 2} I.e. in the Electra and Iph. in Tauris, and the lost Alcmaeon, Kreshontes, and Alexander.

^{page 5 note 3} V. Hyg. fab. 8 and 186; Plut, . Thes. 12Google Scholar; schol, . on Med. 167Google Scholar.

^{page 5 note 4} For the situation of a girl violated at a festival, and identifying her child later by a ring recieved from its father, cf. the Auge of Euripides: the debt is, contrary to custom, acknowledged—Ep. 911.

^{page 5 note 5} Ar. Poet. ch. XVI.

^{page 6 note 1} Cf. Ion v. 1426:

ἕστcѵ τc πρòς τῷδ', ἣ μόνψ τῷδ' ɛτυXɛîς; (Piers. ɛύστoXɛîς;)

and Perik. 695:

<έ δ τoύτψ ϒ> ɛủστοXɛîς - πειπ τἄδo.

Ion 1420 (after Kreousa has mentioned a ὔɸασμα):

μορɸ έXo τι';

and Perik. 697 (after Pataikos has mentioned a ζώνη):

δɛȋ σέ μοι, πάτερ,

oȗσα ɛιπɛῖ ɛικό' ώνη τι⒌ ἦ.

^{page 6 note 2} Cf. Ion 1456:

λλ τπίλοιπα τς τύχης

ɛδαιμονοȋμεν, ώς τ πρόσƟɛ ðuστυχ.

and Perik. 657:

δυστυχ δἠ τπιλοιπα τ έμν.

^{page 6 note 3} The scene of the wreck—πέλαϒος Αιϒαιας λς (Perik. v. 686)—is naively borrowed from Eurip. Troad. v. 98.

^{page 6 note 4} Cf. Ion, vv. 126 and 1417, with Perik. vv. 633, 650.

^{page 7 note 1} Ion 1419; Perik. 646. It is less effective to suppose the pattern faint through age. More-over, Menander uses the same device in the Epitrepontes (v. 171) for a hit at a certain Kleostratos, probably a contemporary artist.

^{page 7 note 2} V. Epitrep. v. 695; Orest. v. 919.

^{page 7 note 3} V. Hyginus, , Fab. 187Google Scholar.

^{page 7 note 4} Epitrep. vv. 187, 271.

^{page 7 note 5} The Troades may be taken as an extreme instance of this.

^{page 8 note 1} For possible indications of a chorus v. Antiph. K. 91, Alex. K. 237, Henioch. K. 586, Timocles K. 25.

^{page 8 note 2} V. Men. Perikeir., Samia, Heros.

^{page 8 note 3} Cf. frag. incert. 545, where the proloque is spoken by Ελεγχоς; v. also the Δσκоλоς and Επκληθоς of Menander, and cf. Aristoph. Wasps. v. 54, Birds, v. 30.

^{page 8 note 4} Cf. the Lar Familiaris who takes the part of the proloque in Plantus' Australia.

^{page 8 note 5} Cf. Phil. K. 164; Adesp. 154.

^{page 8 note 6} Heracl., Her. Fur. Andr., Iph. Taur., Hel., Phoen., Orest., Bacch.

^{page 8 note 7} Med., Suppl., Elektra.

^{page 8 note 8} Cf. Hermes in the Ion, and Poseiden and Athena in the Troades.

^{page 8 note 9} V. the Hippolytus and Alcestis, where the speakers are the spirit of sexual passion, and the powers of Life and Death.

^{page 8 note 10} Ar. Frogs, v. 946.

^{page 9 note 1} The first set of anapaests is condemned as spurious (G. Murray) or displaced (Hermann, England).

^{page 9 note 2} V. schol. Aristoph. Thesm. 1065.

^{page 9 note 3} Axion K. 3.

^{page 9 note 4} Phil. K. 130.

^{page 9 note 5} Diph. K. 60; Phil. K. 18; Men. Epitrep. v. 911.

^{page 9 note 6} Diph. K. 73; cf. Eur. Ant. fr. 187; Iph. Taur. v. 535.

^{page 9 note 7} Men. K. 336; cf. Eur. fr. 1016.

^{page 9 note 8} Phil. K. 79; cf. Eur. Med. 57.

^{page 10 note 1} Androm. v. 330; cf. Men. K. 669.

^{page 10 note 2} Eur. fr. 963; Hel. 766; Hip. 106; cf. Men. K. 852, 225, 202.

^{page 10 note 3} Eur. fr. 553; cf. Men. K. 417: v. Eur. Her. 866; cf. Diph. 45.

^{page 10 note 4} On rich and domineering wives, v. Eur. fr. 504; El. 932; and Men. frag, incert. 57, K. 484; and on the relation of virtue to high birth, v. Eur. fr. 336, and Men. ϒν. μον 20.

^{page 10 note 5} The following lines and phrases occur on good authority in Euripides, and are also attributed to Menander (only those fragments are included which Kock in his edition classes as genuine. The list might be largely extended by the inclusion of verses wrongly or doubtfully attributed to Menander):

οὐκ έστ βίον εύρεῖ ᾰλυπον ούδενbς.

Eur. fr. 872; cf. Men. K. 411.

μτην ρʼ o λέροντεѕ εϋχονται θαɛῖ,

ϒρας Ψέϒοѵτες καì πολù χρόνον βίον.

(Men. πολυχρόνιον βίον)

Eur. Alc. 668.; Men. K. 713.

έξωθέν είσι o δoĸoȗтες εὐɸρονεἰ (Men. εὐτυχεῖ)

λαμπροί, τ δ' ένỡo πσιν άνθρώποις Їσοι.

Eur. fr. 963; Men. K. 669.

μάντις τάριστος őoκάζει καλs.

Eur. fr. 963; Men. K. 852.

ȍστլς δ΄ όμιλς ἥδȏɛται.

Eur. fr. 809; Men. K. 414.

πέλαϒος ΑίϒαΙας λς.

Eur. Troad. 88; Perikeir. 688.

Another line,

ɸθειρουσιν ἤθη χρήσθʼ òμιλιαι κακαι,

(Men. K. 218)

is several times quoted as from Menander, and once (Socrat, . Hist. Eccl. 3)Google Scholar attributed to Euripides.

^{page 10 note 6} v. 1. έστΙν δέ μήτηρ ϕιλότεκνος μλλον πατρε ή μέν ϒάρ αύτς οΙδεν υióν ó δʼ oiεται.

Men. K. 65; cf. Eur. fr. 1004.

2. πς οủ έχωρΙοθητ π՚ λλήλων δίχα;

Men. Perikeir. 666; cf. Eur. fr. 484.

3. τόλμη όլκαΙα καί θεòς ξυλλαμςάνεլ.

Men. K. 572; cf. Eur. fr. 435.

4. κέραլος, νεπΙπληκτος αùτός τψ βίψ.

Men. Epitrep. 695; cf. Eur. Or. 922.

5. χρεΙα διδάσκεլ κἅ ἂμουσος ῇ σοϕόν.

Men. K. 263; cf. Eur. fr. 666, 709.

6. τ τς θεο ϒρ πανταχς έχεլν καλς

Men. K. 320; cf. Eur. Iph. in Taur. 467.

7. κεράνυται

θυμτ՚, άνέπταταΙ τε θύμαθ՚ ՙHɸαίστου βία.

Men. Sam. v. 471; cf. Eyr. Iph. in Taur. 1602.

8. λύπης ίατρός έστίν dθρώποլς λόϒος.

Men. K. 559; cf. Eur. fr. 1064.

9. ό πλείστου

μάντις τάριστός έστι σúμβουλος θ՚ üμα.

Men. K. 225; cf. Eur. Hel. 766.

10. ταύτ՚ ἒχοντα ϒράμματα

τήν προσαϒόρευσլν ού σϕόορ՚ εύσημον ποιεί

Men. K. 381; cf. Eur. Hip. 385.

^{page 10 note 7} V. Med. 771, Iph. in Taur. 1014; Hip. 34, Ion 1571; Orest. 322.

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