Alcaeus (comic poet)
Ancient Greek poet of Old Comedy

Alcaeus (comic poet)

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Ancient Greek poet of Old Comedy
Gender:
Male
Places:
Greece
Is:
WriterComedy writer
Work field:
HumorLiterature
Birth:
(Mytilene, Lesbos, North Aegean Region, Greece)
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Biography

Introduction

Alcaeus (Ancient Greek: Ἀλκαῖος), the son of Miccus, was an Athenian comic poet who wrote ten plays. His comedies marked the transition between Old Comedy and Middle Comedy. In 388 BC, his play Pasiphae was awarded the fifth (i.e. last) place prize.

Fabricius mentions another Alcaeus, a tragedian. Some scholars thought that they were the same person, and calling Alcaeus "a tragedian" rose from an erroneous reading of his title "comoedo-tragoedia".

Surviving Titles and Fragments

The titles of eight plays still exist, along with forty fragments altogether, most of which suggest that he worked mainly in mythological subjects.

  • Adephai Moicheuomenai ("The Adulterous Sisters")
  • Callisto
  • Endymion
  • Hieros Gamos ("Holy Marriage")
  • Komadotragodia ("Comedo-Tragedy")
  • Palaistra ("Palaestra")
  • Panymedes
  • Pasiphae (See above)