Aeschylus Aeschylus (, ; grc-gre, Αἰσχύλος ; c. 525/524 – c. 456/455 BC) was an ancient Greek tragedian, and is often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek ...

(c. 525–456 BC): **''

The Persians ''The Persians'' ( grc, Πέρσαι, ''Persai'', Latinised as ''Persae'') is an Greek tragedy, ancient Greek tragedy written during the Classical Greece, Classical period of Ancient Greece by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus. It is the second and on ...

'' (472 BC) **''

Seven Against Thebes The Seven against Thebes were seven champions in Greek mythology who made war on Thebes. They were chosen by Adrastus, the king of Argos, to be the captains of an Argive army whose purpose was to restore Oedipus' son Polynices to the Theban ...

'' (467 BC) **'' The Suppliants'' (463 BC) **''

The Oresteia The ''Oresteia'' ( grc, Ὀρέστεια) is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BCE, concerning the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes, the trial of Orestes, the end of t ...

'' (458 BC, a trilogy comprising ''

Agamemnon In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (; grc-gre, Ἀγαμέμνων ''Agamémnōn'') was a king of Mycenae who commanded the Greeks during the Trojan War. He was the son, or grandson, of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the ...

'', '' The Libation Bearers'' and ''

The Eumenides The ''Oresteia'' ( grc, Ὀρέστεια) is a trilogy of Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus in the 5th century BCE, concerning the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, the murder of Clytemnestra by Orestes, the trial of Orestes, the end of t ...

''.) **''

Prometheus Bound ''Prometheus Bound'' ( grc, Προμηθεὺς Δεσμώτης, ''Promētheús Desmṓtēs'') is an Ancient Greek tragedy traditionally attributed to Aeschylus and thought to have been composed sometime between 479 BC and the terminus ant ...

'' (authorship and date of performance is still in dispute) * Phrynichus (~511 BC): **''The Fall of Miletus'' (c. 511 BC) **''Phoenissae'' (c. 476 BC) **''Danaides'' **''Actaeon'' **''Alcestis'' **''Tantalus'' *

Achaeus of Eretria Achaeus of Eretria ( grc, Ἀχαιός ὁ Ἐρετριεύς; born 484 BC in Euboea) was a Ancient Greece, Greek playwright author of tragedy, tragedies and satyr plays, variously said to have written 24, 30, or 44 plays, of which 19 titles are ...

(484-c. 405 BC) **''Adrastus'' **''Linus'' **''Cycnus'' **''Eumenides'' **''Philoctetes'' **''Pirithous'' **''Theseus'' **''Œdipus'' * Achaeus of Syracuse (c. 356 BC) *

Agathon Agathon (; grc, Ἀγάθων; ) was an Athenian tragic poet whose works have been lost. He is best known for his appearance in Plato's ''Symposium,'' which describes the banquet given to celebrate his obtaining a prize for his first tragedy a ...

(c. 448–400 BC) * Aphareus (4th century BC) **''Asklepios**'' **''Akhilleus**'' **''Tantalos**'' *

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

(c. 495-406 BC): **'' Theban plays'', or ''Oedipus cycle'': ***''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & R ...

'' (c. 442 BC) ***'' Oedipus Rex'' (c. 429 BC) ***''

Oedipus at Colonus ''Oedipus at Colonus'' (also ''Oedipus Coloneus''; grc, Οἰδίπους ἐπὶ Κολωνῷ, ''Oidipous epi Kolōnōi'') is the last of the three Theban plays of the Athenian tragedian Sophocles. It was written shortly before Sophocles's ...

'' (401 BC, posthumous) **''

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Gree ...

'' (unknown, presumed earlier in career) **''

The Trachiniae ''Women of Trachis'' or ''The Trachiniae'' ( grc, Τραχίνιαι, ) c. 450–425 BC, is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles. ''Women of Trachis'' is generally considered to be less developed than Sophocles' other works, and its dating has been ...

'' (unknown) **'' Electra'' (unknown, presumed later in career) **'' Philoctetes'' (409 BC) *

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

(c. 480–406 BC): **''

Alcestis Alcestis (; Ancient Greek: Ἄλκηστις, ') or Alceste, was a princess in Greek mythology, known for her love of her husband. Her life story was told by pseudo-Apollodorus in his '' Bibliotheca'', and a version of her death and return from t ...

'' (438 BC) **''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'' (431 BC) **'' The Heracleidae (Herakles Children)'' (c. 429 BC) **'' Hippolytus'' (428 BC) **'' Electra'' (c. 420 BC) **'' Sisyphos'' (415 BC) **''

Andromache In Greek mythology, Andromache (; grc, Ἀνδρομάχη, ) was the wife of Hector, daughter of Eetion, and sister to Podes. She was born and raised in the city of Cilician Thebe, over which her father ruled. The name means 'man battler ...

'' (428-24 BC) **'' The Suppliants'' (422 BC) **''

Hecuba Hecuba (; also Hecabe; grc, Ἑκάβη, Hekábē, ) was a queen in Greek mythology, the wife of King Priam of Troy during the Trojan War. Description Hecuba was described by the chronicler Malalas in his account of the ''Chronography'' as "da ...

'' (424 BC) **''

Herakles 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 adoptive ...

'' (421-416 BC) **''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC duri ...

'' (Troades)'' (415 BC)'' **''

Ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...

'' (414-412 BC) **'' Iphigenia in Tauris'' (414-412 BC) **'' Helen'' (412 BC) **'' The Phoenician Women (The Phoinissae)'' (411-409 BC) **'' Iphigenia At Aulis (Iphigenia ad Aulis)'' (410 BC) **''

Orestes In Greek mythology, Orestes or Orestis (; grc-gre, Ὀρέστης ) was the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and the brother of Electra. He is the subject of several Ancient Greek plays and of various myths connected with his madness an ...

'' (408 BC) **'' The Cyclops'' (c. 408 BC) **''

The Bacchae ''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...

'' (405 BC, posthumous) **'' Rhesus'' (unknown) * Euphorion (5th century BC); possibly the author of ''

'', which is often attributed to his father

* " Phaesus" (411-321 BC)

Comedies

* Susarion of Megara (~580 BC) * Epicharmus of Kos (~540-450 BC) *

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 ...

, late 6th century * Dinolochus, 487 BC * Euetes 485 BC * Euxenides 485 BC * Mylus 485 BC *

Chionides Chionides (Greek: Χιονίδης or Χιωνίδης) an Athenian comic poet of the 5th century BC, contemporary of Magnes. The ''Suda'' says that Chionides flourished eight years before the Greco-Persian Wars, that is, 487 BC. But Augustus Mein ...

487 BC * Magnes 472 BC *

Cratinus Cratinus ( grc-gre, Κρατῖνος; 519 BC – 422 BC) was an Athenian comic poet of the Old Comedy. Life Cratinus was victorious 27 known times, eight times at the City Dionysia, first probably in the mid-to-late 450s BCE (IG II2 2325. 50), ...

(~520-420 BC) * Crates c. 450 BC * Ecphantides * Pisander * Epilycus * Callias Schoenion *

Hermippus Hermippus ( grc-gre, Ἕρμιππος; fl. 5th century BC) was the one-eyed Athenian writer of the Old Comedy, who flourished during the Peloponnesian War. Life He was the son of Lysis, and the brother of the comic poet Myrtilus. He was younger t ...

435 BC *

Myrtilus In Greek mythology, Myrtilus (Ancient Greek: Μυρτίλος) was a divine hero and son of Hermes. His mother is said variously to be the Amazon Myrto;Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, ''Argonautica'' 1.752 Phaethusa, daughter of Danaus; or a nymph ...

* Lysimachus *

Hegemon of Thasos Hegemon of Thasos ( el, Ἡγήμων ό Θάσιος) was a Greek writer of the Old Comedy. Hardly anything is known of him, except that he flourished during the Peloponnesian War. According to Aristotle (''Poetics'', ii. 5) he was the inventor o ...

, 413 BC *

Sophron Sophron of Syracuse ( grc-gre, Σώφρων ὁ Συρακούσιος, ''fl.'' 430 BC) was a writer of mimes. Sophron was the author of prose dialogues in the Doric dialect, containing both male and female characters, some serious, others humorou ...

* Phrynichus * Lycis, before 405 BC *Lucrideus (c. 206 BC) * Leucon * Lysippus *

Eupolis Eupolis ( grc-gre, Εὔπολις; c. 446c. 411 BC) was an Athenian poet of the Old Comedy, who flourished during the time of the Peloponnesian War. Biography Nothing whatsoever is known of his personal history. His father was named Sosipolis. ...

(~446-411 BC) *

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his for ...

(c. 446-388 BC), a leading source for Greek

Old Comedy Old Comedy (''archaia'') is the first period of the ancient Greek comedy, according to the canonical division by the Alexandrian grammarians.Mastromarco (1994) p.12 The most important Old Comic playwright is Aristophanes – whose works, with the ...

**''

The Acharnians ''The Acharnians'' or ''Acharnians'' (Ancient Greek: ''Akharneîs''; Attic: ) is the third play — and the earliest of the eleven surviving plays — by the Athenian playwright Aristophanes. It was produced in 425 BC on behalf of the young drama ...

'' (425 BC) **''

The Knights ''The Knights'' ( grc, Ἱππεῖς ''Hippeîs''; Attic: ) was the fourth play written by Aristophanes, who is considered the master of an ancient form of drama known as Old Comedy. The play is a satire on the social and political life of cla ...

'' (424 BC) **''

The Clouds ''The Clouds'' ( grc, Νεφέλαι ''Nephelai'') is a Greek comedy play written by the playwright Aristophanes. A lampooning of intellectual fashions in classical Athens, it was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423BC and was not ...

'' (423 BC) **''

The Wasps ''The Wasps'' ( grc-x-classical, Σφῆκες, translit=Sphēkes) is the fourth in chronological order of the eleven surviving plays by Aristophanes. It was produced at the Lenaia festival in 422 BC, during Athens' short-lived respite from the ...

'' (422 BC) **''

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

'' (421 BC) **'' The Birds'' (414 BC) **''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', "Army Disbander") is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's extraordinary mission to end the Peloponne ...

'' (411 BC) **'' Thesmophoriazusae'' (c. 411 BC) **''

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' ( grc-gre, Βάτραχοι, Bátrakhoi, Frogs; la, Ranae, often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in ...

'' (405 BC) **''

Assemblywomen ''Assemblywomen'' ( grc-gre, Ἐκκλησιάζουσαι ''Ekklesiazousai''; also translated as, ''Congresswomen'', ''Women in Parliament'', ''Women in Power'', and ''A Parliament of Women'') is a comedy written by the Greek playwright Aristo ...

'' (c. 392 BC) **''

Plutus In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Plutus (; grc-gre, Πλοῦτος, Ploûtos, wealth) is the god and the personification of wealth, and the son of the goddess of agriculture Demeter and the mortal Iasion. Family Plutus is most common ...

'' (388 BC) * Pherecrates 420 BC * Diocles of Phlius * Sannyrion * Philyllius, 394 BC *

Hipparchus Hipparchus (; el, Ἵππαρχος, ''Hipparkhos''; BC) was a Greek astronomer, geographer, and mathematician. He is considered the founder of trigonometry, but is most famous for his incidental discovery of the precession of the equi ...

* Archippus * Polyzelus * Philonides *

Eunicus Eunicus (Ancient Greek: ) is the name of two different people in Classical history: *Eunicus, an Athenian comic poet of the Old Comedy, contemporary with Aristophanes and Philyllius. Only one line of his is preserved, from his play ''Anteia'' (), ...

5th century BC * Telecleides 5th century BC * Euphonius 458 BC * Phrynichus (~429 BC) * Cantharus 422 BC *

Ameipsias Ameipsias ( grc, , fl. late 5th century BC) of Athens was an Ancient Greek comic poet, a contemporary of Aristophanes, whom he twice bested in the dramatic contests. His ''Konnos'' () gained a second prize at the City Dionysia in 423, when Aristo ...

(c. 420 BC) * Strattis (~412-390 BC) * Cephisodorus 402 BC *

Plato (comic poet) Plato (also Plato Comicus; Ancient Greek: Πλάτων Κωμικός) was an Athenian comic poet and contemporary of Aristophanes. None of his plays survive intact, but the titles of thirty of them are known, including a ''Hyperbolus'' (c. 420– ...

late 5th century BC *

Theopompus Theopompus ( grc-gre, Θεόπομπος, ''Theópompos''; c. 380 BCc. 315 BC) was an ancient Greek historian and rhetorician. Biography Theopompus was born on the Aegean island of Chios. In early youth, he seems to have spent some time at Athen ...

c. 410 - c.380 BC * Nicophon 5th century BC * Nicochares (d.~345 BC) * Eubulus early 4th century BC * Araros, son of Aristophanes 388, 375 * Antiphanes (~408-334 BC) * Anaxandrides 4th century BC * Calliades 4th century BC * Nicostratus * Phillipus * Philetarus c. 390-c. 320 BC * Anaxilas 343 BC * Ophelion * Callicrates * Heraclides, 348 BC *

Alexis Alexis may refer to: People Mononym * Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet * Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC * Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer * Alexis (comics) (1946–1977 ...

(~375 - 275 BC) *

Amphis Amphis (Greek: Ἄμφις) was an Athenian comic poet of uncertain origin from approximately the 4th century BC. Pollux seems to refer to Amphis as a Middle Comedy poet, and Amphis' own repeated references to the philosopher PlatoAmphis (frr. 6; ...

mid-4th century BC * Axionicus *

Cratinus Junior Cratinus the Younger (4th century BC) was a comic poet of the Middle Comedy, and was a contemporary of Plato and of Corydus. He flourished in the middle of 4th century BC, and as late as 324 BC.Clinton, Fast. Hell. ii. p. xliii. Some scholars belie ...

* Eriphus *

Epicrates of Ambracia Epicrates of Ambracia ( el, Ἐπικράτης Ἀμβρακιώτης), was an Ambraciote who lived in Athens, a comic poet of the Middle Comedy, according to the testimony of Athenaeus (x. p. 422, f.). This is confirmed by extant fragmen ...

4th century BC * Stephanus, 332 BC * Strato * Aristophon * Euphron * Sotades of Athens * Augeas * Epippus *

Heniochus ''Heniochus'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fish, butterflyfishes from the family Chaetodontidae. They are native to the Indo-Pacific. Though very similar in appearance to the Moorish idol ''( Zanclus cornutus)'', the members of this genus ar ...

* Epigenes * Mnesimachus *

Timotheus Timotheus is a masculine male name. It is a latinized version of the Greek name (Timόtheos) mmeaning "one who honours God", from τιμή "honour" and θεός "god"., . The English version '' Timothy'' (and its variations) is a common name in ...

* Sophilus * Antidotus * Naucrates * Xenarchus * Dromo * Crobylus * Philippides * Philemon of Soli or Syracuse (~362–262 BC) * Menander (c. 342-291 BC), a leading source for Greek

New Comedy Ancient Greek comedy was one of the final three principal dramatic forms in the theatre of classical Greece (the others being tragedy and the satyr play). Athenian comedy is conventionally divided into three periods: Old Comedy, Middle Comedy, an ...

**'' Dyskolos'' (317 BC) * Apollodorus of Carystus (~300-260 BC) * Diphilus of Sinope (~340-290 BC) * Dionysius * Timocles 324 BC *

Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (God) and φιλία (love or affection) can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend of God", i.e., it is a theoph ...

* Sosippus * Anaxippus, 303 BC * Demetrius, 299 BC * Archedicus, 302 BC * Sopater, 282 BC * Damoxenus c. 370 BC - 270 BC * Hegesippus, or Crobylus *

Theognetus Theognetus (Greek: Θεόγνητος) was an Ancient Greek comic poet of the 3rd century BC. Works The titles of three of his works survive. * Κένταυρος (''The Centaur'') * Φάσμα ἢ Φιλάργυρος (''The Ghost'' or ''The M ...

* Bathon * Diodorus * Machon of Corinth/Alexandria 3rd century BC *

Poseidippus of Cassandreia Posidippus of Cassandreia (Greek: Ποσείδιππος ὁ Κασσανδρεύς, ''Poseidippos ho Kassandreus''; 316 – c. 250 BC) was a Greek comic poet of the New Comedy. Life He was the son of Cyniscus, a Macedonian who lived in Athens. ...

(~316–250 BC) * Epinicus (~217 BC) * Laines or Laenes 185 BC * Philemon 183 BC * Chairion or Chaerion 154 BC {{DEFAULTSORT:Ancient Greek Playwrights Ancient Greek theatre Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights

Playwrights 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 ...