Commentary

1–18. Daos’ monologue: Though the text is marred by the loss of its initial words (the general sense is readily restored from the context, hence [sorry]), it is clear that what survives represents the play’s actual beginning, and as the foundation upon which subsequent action is based Daos’ monologue shows clear evidence of careful planning by Menander in terms of theme, structure and style. The sombre tone, evident from the outset, adherence to the stricter (tragic) forms of metre in the first nine lines (discussed in detail by Cusset p. 129–32) and the heavy implications of death (...

Menander The arbitration

and Keywords to be supplied.

The Shield: Introduction

This chapter focuses on Menander's play titled The Shield, which is about a young man named Cleostratos who has reportedly been killed in a surprise night attack on the Greek camp by the natives while campaigning in Lycia. It mentions Cleostratos's ex-tutor Daos who returned home a shield that helped to identify Cleostratos's body. It also recounts how Daos's arrival is met by Cleostratos' elder uncle, Smikrines, who plots to secure the shield by invoking the law that will allow a family member to claim Cleostratos' heiress-sister in marriage. The chapter reviews Daos' monologue, which shows clear evidence of careful planning by Menander in terms of theme, structure and style. It describes the sombre tone of the The Shield, which was evident from the outset and adherent to the tragic forms of metre in the first nine lines and the heavy implications of death.

Menander the shield

ΔΑΟΣ‎ ΣΜΙΚΡΙΝΗΣ‎ ΤΥΧΗ‎ ΜΑΓΕΙΡΟΣ‎ ΤΡΑΠΕΖΟΠΟΙΟΣ‎ ΧΑΙΡΕΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ‎ ΧΑΙΡΕΑΣ‎ ΙΑΤΡΟΣ‎ ΚΛΕΟΣΤΡΑΤΟΣ‎ ΧΟΡΟΣ‎ [ΔΑΟΣ‎] [ ] ἡ‎μ‎έ‎ραν‎ ἄ‎γω‎ ὦ‎ τρ‎ό‎φιμε‎, τ...

Commentary

The highly fragmentary Hypothesis or summary of the play is preserved in P. Oxy. 4020, a scrap of papyrus reused for accounts. In form it divides into two sections: the first, written in a larger script, contains part of the play’s name, EPITRE[ (cf. ARBITRA[) and the remnants of lines traditionally (and now firmly) assigned to the play’s beginning as fr.1 ( = fr. 1 K-T = 600K). Preceding this, in the first extant line, is the single letter E, followed by traces of what might be PI, suggesting either 1) that the play’s title was written twice (as advocated by Martina II.2, p. 2), or 2) that there existed an alternative title to the play, as was also the case with such extant plays as ...

The Arbitration: Introduction

This chapter focuses on Menander's play titled The Arbitration, which begins with the arrival of a young man named Charisios who was then informed by his slave Onesimos that during his absence his wife Pamphile has given birth to a baby. It examines Charisios's decision to flee his home and be entertained every night by a music girl after realizing his wife's baby could not be his. It also explores Charisios' behaviour, which was described as a vain attempt to blot out the pain of his discovery and the pain from the very course of action he has taken. The chapter discusses Charisios's stage appearance, which was dominated by a reality that was difficult to gauge as it was bitten by self-recrimination in a situation far removed from normality. It mentions how Pamphile is personified as the victim of the males who surround her, which is seen as a contradiction to her name that means 'Dear to all'.