Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1922-07-15
Famous Literary Mysteries

What Became of Meander's Comedies?
1t has always been a mystery as to
what became of the comedies OF. .Menan-
der, the Greek dramatist. Unfortuna tely
not one OF his plays has survived. az
though they were much read down to
late date. However, apart from about
seventy-three titles and numerous frag-
ments-sone of considerable length-we
have transeriptions of his comedies, in
which, of course, the delicate beauties
of the original are lost in a number of
Latin plays by Plautus and Terence.
We are told that Menander's nlays
were well known in Byzantine days and
that they were certainly used by Eus-
fathius when composing his commentary
on Homer in 1850 A. D. Leone Allaci
even speaks of twenty-feur comedies be-
ing extant at Constantinople in the
seventh century. And this is not ineon-
sistent with the account of another en-
inent commentator, who says that the
manuscript of Menander and Philemon,
together with the erotic poems of the
old lyric poets were destroyed by BY
zantine eHlperors at the instigation of
zealot menks, who desired to Aeriace
them with the effusions of Gregory
Nazlanzen. A stray copy might have
survived. But as yet all search for the
1t seems very odd that we have no
remnant Of Menander's dramatic art
though we know so much about his style
and about his philosophy. Til. the end
of the nineteenth century all that was
known of Menander were the, fragments
collected by A. Meineke in 1855 and t.
Kock in 1885, They consist of some 1 =
$50 verses or parts of verses J., addi-
ton to number of worls - from
Menander by the old lexicoS .aphers.
From 1897 to 1907 papyri were dis
covered in different parts Of Egypt
containing fragments of considerable
length, amounting to some 40 lines.
| 1t is doubtful whether these frag-
ments which are of sufficient length
to afford a bisis or the considera-
/ ton of the merits of Menandas as a
writer of comedies. justify the great rep
utation enjoyed by him in ancient times.
| Menander, the greatest of all writer's
of Greek comedy, was born in S42 B. c.
at Athens of distinguished and wealthy
family, received a careful education and
| led comfortable and luxurious life, part
/, lysat Athens and partly on his estate in
the Pirareus, the harber of Athens, enjoy
| ing the intimate friendship of his contem-
porary and the friends of his youth. Epi-
Gurus or Theephrastus and of DemetriuS
| Phalareus.
AS early as 362 Menander made his first
appearance as an author. He wrote about
a hundred pieces, and worked with tbs
greatest facility. His principal merits
were remarkable inyentiveness, skilful ar
rangement of plots, life-like painting o.
character, refined wit, elegant ant
graceful language and copious supply
Eof maxims based on. a profound knowl
edge of the world. These last were col
lected in regular anthologies and form
the bulk of the extant fragments.
Menander was most enthusiasticall.
praised by Plutarch, who accepted th'
tradition that he was the author of thu
I speeches published under the name o
the Attic orator ChaFisius. A great ad
mirer and imitator of Euripides, he re
Esembles him in his keen observation o
practical life. his analysis of the emotions
and his fondness for moral maxims, man.
of which have become preverbial; for in
sance: Whom the gods love di
young EVIL Communication corrup
good manners" and 1.-THE property o
friends is common. 2
With Menander's death the classica
age Of Greek poetry closed: Shortly aft
efwards national center of gravity, a
regards learning, shifted to Alexandra
and there the latest poets of the New
Comedy brought out their plays. Tn
poetry Of the Alexandrien age was no
without flashes of genius, but on tn
whole. it has not maintained the stand
ard Of Attic culture. The students o
classical Greek literature have made ever.
effort to secure at least -one of the Men
aHder comedies in its entirety, but it /
hardly likely that they will, at this lat
| day, discover the whereabouts of tn
great works