Charition mime
Encyclopedia
The Charition mime is a Greek
mime found in Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 413
. The manuscript, which is possibly incomplete, is untitled, and the mime's name comes from the name of its protagonist.
The plot of the mime is unremarkable, and is derived from Euripides
' Iφιγένεια ἡ ἐν Ταύροις (Iphigeneia in Tauris
), with the scene of action transposed to India
. The introduction of humorous elements suggest that it may originally have been written as a spoof
(Danielou 1985). The play's character makes it almost a burlesque
, representing a type of drama which was prior to the play's discovery not known in antiquity. The manuscript contains signs at various points which are almost certainly instructions to play percussion instruments and - possibly - the auloi
, a Greek double-piped reed instrument, which suggests that the use of music in Greek mime was much more extensive than was earlier thought (Hall 2002, 5). Whilst the exact date of the play is unknown, it cannot have been later than the 2nd century CE, and was possibly earlier.
One of the most interesting features of the skit is the appearance of a number of Indian characters who speak dialogue in an Indian language. Shortly after the papyrus' publication, Dr. E. Hultzsch
, a noted German indologist who had a strong command of the Dravidian languages
, demonstrated that the words represented an ancient form of Kannada, and suggested possible readings for the dialogues in question which made sense in the context in which they were uttered (Hultzsch 1904). Although his findings were criticised by others at the time for being speculative, no other attempt to provide readings for the words in question has been successful and even Hultzsch's critics accept that the language must have been a Dravidian tongue (Salomon 1991). Recently, an Indian scholar P. S. Rai claimed that the language is Tulu
, some scholars even believed that it may be a Tamil
. However, well known historian B. A. Saletore explanation of the locale of the story and Shastri analysis of the language of the play proves it is a Kannada
. The subsequent discovery of the Halmidi inscription
, which contains a form of Kannada much earlier than the forms known at the time Hultzsch wrote his article, confirms many of his theories on the evolution of the language and therefore adds strong support to his readings.
See simplified play and its interpretation :
Possible Kannada Interpretation
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
mime found in Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 413
POxy 413
Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 413 is a manuscript of an adaptation of Euripides' Iphigeneia in Tauris . The setting is shifted from Greece to India. The anonymous adaptation is known as Charition after the main character. The manuscript is held by the Bodleian Library as Ms. Gr. Class. b 4 ....
. The manuscript, which is possibly incomplete, is untitled, and the mime's name comes from the name of its protagonist.
The plot of the mime is unremarkable, and is derived from Euripides
Euripides
Euripides was one of the three great tragedians of classical Athens, the other two being Aeschylus and Sophocles. Some ancient scholars attributed ninety-five plays to him but according to the Suda it was ninety-two at most...
' Iφιγένεια ἡ ἐν Ταύροις (Iphigeneia in Tauris
Iphigeneia in Tauris
Iphigenia in Tauris is a drama by the playwright Euripides, written between 414 BC and 412 BC. It has much in common with another of Euripides's plays, Helen, and is often described as a romance, a melodrama or an escape play.-Background:...
), with the scene of action transposed to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The introduction of humorous elements suggest that it may originally have been written as a spoof
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
(Danielou 1985). The play's character makes it almost a burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
, representing a type of drama which was prior to the play's discovery not known in antiquity. The manuscript contains signs at various points which are almost certainly instructions to play percussion instruments and - possibly - the auloi
Aulos
An aulos or tibia was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology.An aulete was the musician who performed on an aulos...
, a Greek double-piped reed instrument, which suggests that the use of music in Greek mime was much more extensive than was earlier thought (Hall 2002, 5). Whilst the exact date of the play is unknown, it cannot have been later than the 2nd century CE, and was possibly earlier.
One of the most interesting features of the skit is the appearance of a number of Indian characters who speak dialogue in an Indian language. Shortly after the papyrus' publication, Dr. E. Hultzsch
E. Hultzsch
Euger Julius Theodor Hultzsch was a German Indologist and epigraphist who is known for his work in deciphering the inscriptions of King Ashoka.- Career :...
, a noted German indologist who had a strong command of the Dravidian languages
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
, demonstrated that the words represented an ancient form of Kannada, and suggested possible readings for the dialogues in question which made sense in the context in which they were uttered (Hultzsch 1904). Although his findings were criticised by others at the time for being speculative, no other attempt to provide readings for the words in question has been successful and even Hultzsch's critics accept that the language must have been a Dravidian tongue (Salomon 1991). Recently, an Indian scholar P. S. Rai claimed that the language is Tulu
Tulu language
The Tulu language |?]]]) is a Dravidian language spoken by 1.95 million native speakers mainly in the southwest part of Indian state Karnataka known as Tulu Nadu. In India, 1.72 million people speak it as their mother tongue , increased by 10 percent over the 1991 census...
, some scholars even believed that it may be a Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
. However, well known historian B. A. Saletore explanation of the locale of the story and Shastri analysis of the language of the play proves it is a Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
. The subsequent discovery of the Halmidi inscription
Halmidi inscription
The Halmidi inscription is the oldest known Kannada language inscription in the Kannada script. Experts agree on the relative date , but differ on absolute date. Estimates vary by about 50 years either side of about 500 AD . The inscription was discovered in 1936 by Dr. M. H...
, which contains a form of Kannada much earlier than the forms known at the time Hultzsch wrote his article, confirms many of his theories on the evolution of the language and therefore adds strong support to his readings.
See simplified play and its interpretation :
Possible Kannada Interpretation