Epicharmus of
Kos
Kos or Cos (; el, Κως ) is a Greek island, part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese by area, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 36,986 (2021 census), ...
or Epicharmus Comicus or Epicharmus Comicus
Syracusanus ( grc-gre, Ἐπίχαρμος ὁ Κῷος), thought to have lived between c. 550 and c. 460 BC, was a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
dramatist
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
and
philosopher who is often credited with being one of the first
comic writers, having originated the
Doric or
Sicilian comedic form.
Literary evidence
Most of the information about Epicharmus comes from the writings of
Athenaeus
Athenaeus of Naucratis (; grc, Ἀθήναιος ὁ Nαυκρατίτης or Nαυκράτιος, ''Athēnaios Naukratitēs'' or ''Naukratios''; la, Athenaeus Naucratita) was a Greek rhetorician and grammarian, flourishing about the end of th ...
, ''
Suda'' and
Diogenes Laërtius, although fragments and comments come up in a host of other ancient authors as well. The standard edition of his fragments was made by
Kaibel (1890) to which there has been various additions and emendments. There have also been some papyrus finds of longer sections of text, but these are often so full of holes that it is difficult to make sense of them.
Plato
Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
mentions Epicharmus in his dialogue ''
Gorgias''
[Plato, ''Gorgias'' 05e "So that, in Epicharmus's phrase, 'what two men spake erewhile' I may prove I can manage single-handed"]
/ref> and in '' Theaetetus (dialogue), Theaetetus''. In the latter, Socrates refers to Epicharmus as "the prince of Comedy", Homer as "the prince of Tragedy", and both as "great masters of either kind of poetry".["Summon the great masters of either kind of poetry- Epicharmus, the prince of Comedy, and Homer of Tragedy", ''Theaetetus'', by Plato, section §152e]
(translation by Benjamin Jowet
. There is some variability in translation of the passage. Words like "king", "chief", "leader", "master" are used in the place of "prince" in different translations. The basic Greek word in Plato is "akroi" from "akros" meaning topmost or high up. In this context it means "of a degree highest of its kind" or "consummate" (cf. Liddell & Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon)
/ref> Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...
(''Poetics'' 5.1449b5)[Aristotle, ''Poetics'' 5.1449b]
/ref> writes that he and Phormis Phormis ( grc-gre, Φόρμις; fl. c. 478 BC) is one of the originators of Ancient Greek comedy, Greek comedy, or of a particular form of it. Aristotle identified him as one of the originators of comedy, along with Epicharmus of Kos. He was said t ...
invented comic plots (μῦθοι, ''muthoi'').[cf. P. W. Buckham, p. 245]
The 12th-century philosopher Constantine of Nicaea
Constantine of Nicaea or Constantine the Philosopher was a Neoplatonic philosopher in the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Manuel I (1143–1180).Merle Eisenberg and David Jenkins (2021), "The Philosophy of Constantine the Philosopher of Nicaea ...
cites Epicharmus.
Life
All of his biographical information should be treated as suspect. Epicharmus' birthplace is not known, but late and fairly unreliable ancient commentators suggest a number of alternatives. The ''Suda'' (E 2766) records that he was either Syracusan by birth or from the Sikanian
The Sicani (Ancient Greek Σῐκᾱνοί ''Sikānoí'') or Sicanians were one of three Ancient Italic people, ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greeks, Greek Colonies in antiquity, colonization. The Sicani dwelt ea ...
city of Krastos. Diogenes Laërtius (VIII 78) records that Epicharmus was born in Astypalea, the ancient capital of Kos
Kos or Cos (; el, Κως ) is a Greek island, part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese by area, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 36,986 (2021 census), ...
on the Bay of Kamari, near modern-day Kefalos Kefalos (Κέφαλος) is the westernmost town on the Greek island of Kos, 43 km from Kos Town. It is situated on a peninsula, also known as Kefalos, at the south-west side of the island. The town is built on a stone height, dominated by the ...
. Diogenes Laërtius also records that Epicharmus' father was the prominent physician Helothales, who moved the family to Megara in Sicily, when Epicharmus was just a few months old. Although raised according to the Asclepiad tradition of his father, as an adult Epicharmus became a follower of Pythagoras
Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His politi ...
.[cf. P.W.Buckham, p.164, "But Epicharmus was a philosopher and a Pythagorean"; and Pickard-Cambridge, p. 232, "Epicharmus was a hearer of Pythagoras".]
It is most likely that sometime after 484 BC, he lived in Syracuse, and worked as a poet for the tyrant
A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to re ...
s Gelo
Gelon also known as Gelo (Greek: Γέλων ''Gelon'', ''gen.'': Γέλωνος; died 478 BC), son of Deinomenes, was a Greek tyrant of the Sicilian cities Gela and Syracuse, and first of the Deinomenid rulers.
Early life
Gelon was the son o ...
and Hiero I
Hieron I ( el, Ἱέρων Α΄; usually Latinized Hiero) was the son of Deinomenes, the brother of Gelon and tyrant of Syracuse in Sicily from 478 to 467 BC. In succeeding Gelon, he conspired against a third brother, Polyzelos.
Life
During hi ...
. The subject matter of his poetry covered a broad range, from exhortations against intoxication and laziness to such unorthodox topics as mythological burlesque, but he also wrote on philosophy, medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
, natural science, linguistics
Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...
, and ethics
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concer ...
. Among many other philosophical and moral lessons, Epicharmus taught that the continuous exercise of virtue could overcome heredity, so that anyone had the potential to be a good person regardless of birth. He died in his 90s (according to a statement in Lucian,[Lucian, ''Macrobii'', 25 (cf]
he died at ninety-seven).
Diogenes Laërtius records that there was a bronze statue dedicated to him in Syracuse, by the inhabitants, for which Theocritus
Theocritus (; grc-gre, Θεόκριτος, ''Theokritos''; born c. 300 BC, died after 260 BC) was a Greek poet from Sicily and the creator of Ancient Greek pastoral poetry.
Life
Little is known of Theocritus beyond what can be inferred from h ...
composed the following inscription:[Theocritus, ''Epigrams'', 17 (cf]
As the bright sun excels the other stars,''
''As the sea far exceeds the river streams:''
''So does sage Epicharmus men surpass,''
''Whom hospitable Syracuse has crowned.
Theocritus' Epigram 18 (AP IX 60; Kassel and Austin Test. 18) was written in his honour.
The cosmopolitan scientist and traveler Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, ...
turned Epicharmus into the protagonist of the only literary text he ever published; it appeared 1795 in Friedrich Schiller's journal Horen under the title "Die Lebenskraft oder der Rhodische Genius" 'The Vital Force or the Rhodian Genius'' Epicharmos figures here as a natural philosopher and interpreter of art.
Works
Epicharmus wrote between thirty-five and fifty-two comedies, though many have been lost or exist only in fragments. Along with his contemporary Phormis Phormis ( grc-gre, Φόρμις; fl. c. 478 BC) is one of the originators of Ancient Greek comedy, Greek comedy, or of a particular form of it. Aristotle identified him as one of the originators of comedy, along with Epicharmus of Kos. He was said t ...
, he was alternately praised and denounced for ridiculing the great mythical hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...
es. At the time it would have been dangerous to present comedies in Syracuse like those of the Athenian stage, in which attacks were made upon the authorities. Accordingly, the comedies of Epicharmus are calculated not to give offence to the ruler. They are either mythological travesties or character comedies.
His two most famous works were ''Agrōstīnos'' ("The Country-Dweller," or "Clodhopper"), which dealt humorously with the rustic lifestyle, and ''Hebes Gamos'' ("The Marriage of Hebe"), in which Heracles
Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...
was portrayed as a glutton. He also depicted Odysseus as an unheroic figure of burlesque by parodying the Homeric image for comic effect in his ''Odysseùs Autómolos'' (Ulysses the Deserter). Additional works include
*''Alkyon''
*''Amykos
In Greek mythology, Amykos ( grc, Ἄμυκος), Latinized as Amycus, was the king of the Bebryces, a mythical people in Bithynia.
Family
Amycus was the son of Poseidon and the Bithynian nymph Melia.
Mythology
Amycus was a doughty man bu ...
'' ("Amycus")
*''Harpagai''
*''Bakkhai''
*''Bousiris'' ("Busiris")
*''Ga Kai Thalassa'' ("Earth and Sea")
*''Deukalion'' ("Deucalion
In Greek mythology, Deucalion (; grc-gre, Δευκαλίων) was the son of Prometheus; ancient sources name his mother as Clymene, Hesione, or Pronoia.A scholium to ''Odyssey'' 10.2 (='' Catalogue'' fr. 4) reports that Hesiod called Deucal ...
")
*''Dionysoi'' ("The Dionysuses")
*''Diphilus''
*''Elpis'' ("Hope"), or ''Ploutos'' ("Wealth")
*''Heorta kai Nasoi''
*''Epinikios''
*''Herakleitos'' ("Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus (; grc-gre, Ἡράκλειτος , "Glory of Hera"; ) was an ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Persian Empire.
Little is known of Heraclitus's life. He wrot ...
")
*''Thearoi'' ("Spectators")
*''Hephaistos'' ("Hephaestus
Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter B ...
"), or ''Komastai'' ("The Revelers")
*''Kyklops'' ("The Cyclops")
*''Logos kai Logeina''
*''Megaris'' ("Woman From Megara")
*''Menes'' ("Months")
*''Odysseus Nauagos'' ("Odysseus Shipwrecked")
*'' Orya'' ("The Sausage")
*''Periallos''
*''Persai'' ("The Persians")
*''Pithon'' ("The Little Ape" or "Monkey")
*''Seirenes'' ("Sirens")
*''Skiron''
*''Sphinx''
*''Triakades''
*''Troes'' ("Trojan Men")
*''Philoktetes'' (" Philoctetes")
*''Choreuontes'' ("The Dancers")
*''Chytrai'' ("The Pots")
Reproducing a mid-4th century BC accusation from Alcimus
Alcimus (from grc-gre, Ἄλκιμος ''Alkimos'', "valiant" or Hebrew אליקום ''Elyaqum'', "God will rise"), also called Jakeimos, Jacimus, or Joachim (), was High Priest of Israel for three years from 162–159 BCE. He was a moderate Hell ...
, Diogenes Laërtius in his ''Lives of Eminent Philosophers''[ Diogenes Laërtius, '' Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'', iii. 9] conserves a late opinion that Plato plagiarized several of Epicharmus's ideas. " lato
Lato ( grc, Λατώ, Latṓ) was an ancient city of Crete, the ruins of which are located approximately 3 km from the village of Kritsa.
History
The Dorian city-state was built in a defensible position overlooking Mirabello Bay betw ...
derived great assistance from Epicharmus the Comic poet, for he transcribed a great deal from him, as Alcimus
Alcimus (from grc-gre, Ἄλκιμος ''Alkimos'', "valiant" or Hebrew אליקום ''Elyaqum'', "God will rise"), also called Jakeimos, Jacimus, or Joachim (), was High Priest of Israel for three years from 162–159 BCE. He was a moderate Hell ...
says in the essays dedicated to Amyntas f Heracleahellip;." Laërtius then lists, in III, 10, the several ways that Plato "employs the words of Epicharmus."
Quotations
*"A mortal should think mortal thoughts, not immortal thoughts."
*"The best thing a man can have, in my view, is health."
*"The hand washes the hand: give something and you may get something."
*"Then what is the nature of men? Blown-up bladders!"[Humanistictexts.org](_blank)
*"Don't forget to exercise incredulity; for it is the sinews of the soul."
Notes
References
*Philip Wentworth Buckham
''Theatre of the Greeks''
1827.
*P.E. Easterling (Series Editor), Bernard M.W. Knox (Editor), ''Cambridge History of Classical Literature'', v.I, Greek Literature, 1985. , cf. Chapter 12, p. 367 on Epicharmus and others.
*Rudolf Kassel, C. Austin (Editor) ''Poetae Comici Graeci: Agathenor-Aristonymus (Poetae Comici Graeci)'', 1991.
* Lucía Rodríguez-Noriega Guillén, ''Epicarmo de Siracusa: testimonios y fragmentos'', Oviedo: Universidad de Oviedo, Servicio de Publicaciones, 1996. (lxiv, 247 pages) ISBN 847468935X
*A. W. Pickard-Cambridge, ''Dithyramb, Tragedy, and Comedy'', Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1927, (repr. 1962).
*Plato, ''Theaetetus''.
*William Ridgeway, contrib. ''The Dramas and Dramatic Dances of Non-European Races''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1915.
*Xavier Riu, ''Dionysism and Comedy'', 1999
*Lucia Rodríguez-Noriega Guillén, ''Epicarmo de Siracusa. Testimonios y Fragmentos. Edición crítica bilingüe.''; Oviedo: Universidad de Oviedo, Servicio de Publicaciones, 1996
Reviewed by Kathryn Bosher, University of Michigan, in Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2005.10.24
* William Smith (lexicographer), Smith, William, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 ...
'', 1870, article on Epicharmus
*Theocritus, ''Idylls and Epigrams''. (''Theocritus translated into English Verse'' by C.S. Calverley
External links
An article on Epicharmus
at Theatrehistory.com
*
Epicharmus Fragments
a
demonax.info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epicharmus Of Kos
540s BC births
450s BC deaths
Sicilian Greeks
Pythagoreans
Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights
Ancient Greek poets
Ancient Koans
Doric Greek poets
Old Comic poets