Menander (c. 341-291 BC) was the foremost innovator of Greek New Comedy, a dramatic style that moved away from the fantastical to focus upon the problems of ordinary Athenians. This collection contains the full text of 'Old Cantankerous' (Dyskolos), the only surviving complete example of New Comedy, as well as fragments from works including 'The Girl from Samos' and 'The Rape of the Locks', all of which are concerned with domestic catastrophes, the hazards of love and the trials of family life. Written in a poetic style regarded by the ancients as second only to Homer, these polished works - profoundly influential upon both Roman playwrights such as Plautus and Terence, and the wider Western tradition - may be regarded as the first true comedies of manners.

Plays and Fragments (Penguin Classics)

Literature & Fiction

Menander

Dramas & Plays

Penguin Classics

The ideal single-volume introduction to the greatest masterpieces of ancient comedy From the fifth to the second century B.C., theatrical comedy flourished in Greece and Rome. This new anthology brings together four essential masterworks of the genre: Aristophanes' bold, imaginative The Birds; Menander's The Girl from Samos, which explores popular contemporary themes of mistaken identity and sexual misbehavior; and two later Roman comic plays: Plautus's The Brothers Menaechmus, the inspiration for Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors; and Terence's bawdy yet sophisticated double love plot, The Eunuch. Together, these four plays capture the genius of classical comedy for students, theatergoers, actors, lovers of satire, and anyone interested in the ancient world. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Classical Comedy

Plautus

Aristophanes

Térence

The greatest writer of Greek New Comedy and the founding father of European comedy, Menander (c.341-290 BC) wrote over one hundred plays, of which only one complete play and substantial fragments of others survive. Until the twentieth century he was known to us only by short quotations in ancient authors. Since 1907 papyri found in the sand of Egypt have brought to light more and more fragments and in 1958 the papyrus text of a complete play was published, The Bad-Tempered Man (Dyskolos). His romantic comedies deal with the lives of ordinary Athenian families. This new verse translation is accurate and highly readable, providing a consecutive text by using surviving words in the damaged papyri.

Menander, The Plays and Fragments (Oxford World's Classics)

Balme, Maurice

Oxford University Press

Rhetor

Wilson, N.G.

Menander was the greatest writer of Attic New Comedy in the late fourth century B.C., yet it was not until the twentieth century and the discoveries of papyri in Egypt that even a sizable fragment of his work became available for study. Today, one complete play, the Dyskolos ("The Bad Tempered Man"), and considerable fragments from fourteen other plays survive. This revised edition of Sandbach's Oxford Classical Text (first published in 1972) contains all the extant fragments of Menander's work, including all fragments recovered from quotation, and has been brought completely up to date with the inclusion of an appendix detailing the latest discoveries.

Reliquiae Selectae (Oxford Classical Texts)

Menander was the greatest writer of Attic New Comedy in the late fourth century B.C., yet it was not until the twentieth century and the discoveries of papyri in Egypt that even a sizable fragment of his work became available for study. Today, one complete play, the Dyskolos ("The Bad Tempered Man"), and considerable fragments from fourteen other plays survive. This revised edition of Sandbach's Oxford Classical Text (first published in 1972) contains all the extant fragments of Menander's work, including all fragments recovered from quotation, and has been brought completely up to date with the inclusion of an appendix detailing the latest discoveries.

Clarendon Press

This new verse translation of the plays and fragments of Menander (341-290 BC), with explanatory notes and introduction, follows the text of Menander closely but attempts to fill some of the gaps by supplements based on the dramatic situation and surviving words in the damaged papyri, so that the reader has, as far as possible, a consecutive text.

Menander, The Plays and Fragments

The greatest writer of Greek New Comedy and the founding father of European comedy, Menander (c.341-290 BC) wrote over one hundred plays, of which only one complete play and substantial fragments of others survive. Until the twentieth century he was known to us only by short quotations in ancient authors. Since 1907 papyri found in the sand of Egypt have brought to light more and more fragments and in 1958 the papyrus text of a complete play was published, The Bad-Tempered Man (Dyskolos). His romantic comedies deal with the lives of ordinary Athenian families. This new verse translation is accurate and highly readable, providing a consecutive text by using surviving words in the damaged papyri. About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

The Plays and Fragments (Oxford World's Classics)

An essential book for students of Greek drama and literature: Aristophanes is widely regarded as one of Ancient Greece's foremost satirists - offering students of the period a unique insight into the world of Athens and its theatre
 Written in the century following the defeat of Athens by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War, these four plays signal a change of emphasis in stage comedy more appropriate to the new world order of the fourth century BC. Women in Power and Wealth complete the cycle of Aristophanes' extant plays begun in Aristophanes Plays: One and Two, translated by Kenneth McLeish and J Michael Walton. These editions provide full introductions; discussing the plays and placing them in their political and social context.Aristophanes was a unique writer for the comic stage as well as one of the most revealing about the society for which he wrote.

New Comedy: Women in Power; Wealth; The Malcontent; The Woman from Samos (Classical Dramatists)

Methuen Drama

The Dyskolos

With the discovery and translation of the Dyskolos (“The Grouch”), Menander comes alive with subtle philosophy and vision. His world of troubled lovers, scheming servants, and foolish old men, with its witty dialogue and quick turnabouts in plot, offers friendly advice on life as we still experience it today and insightful commentary on the shortcomings of humanity. In this play about an outrageous misanthrope, the mischief he causes, and the comeuppance he receives, we encounter a comic spirit that Molière would have bowed to in homage.

Mentor

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Books by Menander

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Menander. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Plays and Fragments (Penguin Classics)

Classical Comedy

Menander, The Plays and Fragments (Oxford World's Classics)

Rhetor

Reliquiae Selectae (Oxford Classical Texts)

Reliquiae Selectae (Oxford Classical Texts)

Menander, The Plays and Fragments

The Plays and Fragments (Oxford World's Classics)

New Comedy: Women in Power; Wealth; The Malcontent; The Woman from Samos (Classical Dramatists)

The Dyskolos