Strattis, Tragedy, and Comedy
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Strattis, Tragedy, and Comedy Sarah Miles Thesis submitted to the University of Nottingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy February 2009 Abstract This study comprises a translation, textual commentary, and discussion of the fragments of the Old comic dramatist Strattis which engage with tragedy. It forms the centre of a wider examination of the art of paratragedy and tragic parody in Old Comedy because paratragedy represents the earliest reception of tragedy and one that is contemporary with the initial live performances of tragic plays. Ancient and modern scholarship alike has viewed Aristophanes as the dominant figure in the art of paratragedy and tragic parody. Strattis, a contemporary of Aristophanes, was active in the late fifth and early fourth centuries BC and the fragments of his comedies indicate a sustained and wide ranging interaction with contemporary tragedy which is rivalled only by Aristophanic comedy. This is particularly remarkable since the extant corpus of Strattis numbers less than ninety fragments. This work explores the phenomenon of paratragedy beyond Aristophanic paratragedy and raises awareness of the importance of Strattis in this respect. It begins with a survey of paratragedy in other non-Aristophanic fragments of Old Comedy and it examines the various ways that comedy engages with tragedy, indicating the depth and breadth of paratragedy in comic fragments. This provides the foundations on which to examine the fragments of Strattis through a text, translation and commentary on those fragments that engage with tragedy. It leads to a discussion of the works of Strattis overall for their use of tragedy and myth, which allows us to note characteristics of Strattis’ work. This enables a comparison of the paratragedy in the comedies of Strattis and Aristophanes which allows us to reassess the uniqueness of Aristophanic paratragedy and to consider reasons for the popularity of paratragedy in the late fifth century BC. Acknowledgements I owe the greatest debt of gratitude to Prof. Alan Sommerstein for guidance, patience, ideas and, most of all, enjoyable discussions about comedy (of all kinds). My heartfelt thanks go to members of the Classics Department at Nottingham for their friendliness and support, and also to the School of Humanities for providing me with a studentship which allowed me time and space to research. Especial and personal thanks must go to my family for their continual support and love, and especially to Jez, for love, laughter and life. Table of Contents Abbreviations............................................................................................................................1 1 Introduction........................................................................................................................3 2 An Overview of the Development of Paratragedy in Non-Aristophanic Comedy.....17 Khionides......................................................................................................25 Kratinos.........................................................................................................27 Ekphantides ..................................................................................................41 Krates............................................................................................................42 Kallias...........................................................................................................44 Telekleides....................................................................................................49 Pherekrates ...................................................................................................54 Hermippos.....................................................................................................58 Phrynikhos....................................................................................................59 Eupolis..........................................................................................................63 Philonides.....................................................................................................77 Kantharos......................................................................................................78 Leukon..........................................................................................................78 Platon............................................................................................................79 Lysippos........................................................................................................87 Sannyrion......................................................................................................87 Diokles..........................................................................................................89 Philyllios.......................................................................................................89 Theopompos.................................................................................................91 Metagenes ....................................................................................................94 Arkhippos ....................................................................................................95 Alkaios..........................................................................................................96 Apollophanes ...............................................................................................97 Nikokhares ...................................................................................................98 Autokrates ..................................................................................................100 Analysis......................................................................................................101 3 A Commentary on Strattis’ Plays with Tragic and Mythic Links..............................118 Anthroporestes (Humanorestes)..................................................................118 Atalantos.....................................................................................................130 Iphigeron (Iphigeriatric).............................................................................142 Kallippides..................................................................................................146 Lemnomeda................................................................................................153 Medeia........................................................................................................161 Myrmidones (Myrmidons)..........................................................................169 Troilos.........................................................................................................172 Philoktetes...................................................................................................178 Phoinissai (Phoenician Women).................................................................183 Khrysippos..................................................................................................203 Selected Strattis Fragments Unassigned to Plays: fr. 63, 66, 69, 71, 88.....210 4 Strattis and his Use of Tragedy and Myth...................................................................220 5 Strattis and Aristophanes..............................................................................................260 6 Conclusions.....................................................................................................................304 7 Appendix 1: Dating Strattis...........................................................................................314 8 Appendix 2: P. Oxy. 2742 (second century)..................................................................323 9 Bibliography...................................................................................................................326 1 Abbreviations CGFP Austin, C. Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta in Papyris Reperta (Berlin, 1973). FGrH Jacoby, F. Fragmente der griechischen Historiker (Berlin, 1923-). IG II2 Kirchner, J. Inscriptiones Graecae. Voluminis II et III editio minor. Inscriptiones Atticae Euclidis anno posteriores (Berlin, 1913-40). LIMC J. Boardman et al. Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (Zürich, 1981- 1999). LGPN Fraser, P.M. & Matthews, E. A Lexicon of Greek Personal Names vol. 1-5 (Oxford, 1987-2005). PCG Kassel, R. & Austin, C. Poetae Comici Graeci (Berlin, 1983-). PMG Page, D.L. Poetae Melici Graeci (Oxford, 1962). TrGF Snell, B., Radt, S.L., Kannicht, R., Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta vol. 1-5 (Göttingen, 1971-2004). Comic fragments follow the numbering in PCG and tragic fragments follow that in TrGF. The modern editions for secondary sources of the comic fragments are those listed in PCG but with the following additions: Athenaeus. The Learned Banqueters vol. I-III. Olson, S.D. (London & Cambridge, MA, 2006- 2008). Etymologicum magnum genuinum. Symeonis etymologicum una cum magna grammatica. Etymologicum magnum auctum vol. 2. Lasserre, F. & Livadaras, N. (Athens, 1992). 2 Harpocration. Lexeis of the Ten Orators. Keaney, J.J. (Amsterdam, 1991). Hesychii Alexandrini lexicon, vol. 3 (P-S). Hansen, P.A. (Berlin & New York, 2005). Scholia in Aristophanem. Pars 2, Scholia in Vespas, Pacem, Aves et Lysistratam. Koster, W.J.W., Holwerda, D., Hangard, J. (Groningen, 1978-1996). Scholia in Aristophanem. Pars 3, Scholia in Thesmophoriazusas, Ranas, Ecclesiazusas et Plutum. Chantry, M. & Regtuit, R.F.