Cratinus
Encyclopedia
Cratinus Athenian comic poet
of the Old Comedy.
, first probably in the mid- to late 450s BCE (IG II2 2325. 50), and three times at the Lenaia
, first probably in the early 430s (IG II2 2325. 121; just before Pherecrates
and Hermippus
). He was still competing in 423, when his Pytine took the prize at the City Dionysia; he died shortly thereafter, at a very advanced age, about 97 years (test. 3).
Little is known of his personal history. His father's name was Callimedes, and he himself was a taxiarch. The Suda
has brought several accusations against Cratinus. First, it accuses Cratinus of excessive cowardice. Secondly, a charge against the moral character. Thirdly, a charge of habitual intemperance. Having examined all these charges, it may be safe to say that all of these charges are unlikely enough to be true, and that there is no evidence that Cratinus really committed such things. Moreover, other writers, including Aristophanes
, were silent on these charges, except the third charge, which is sustained by many passages of Aristophanes
and other writers. They also refer the "Confession of Cratinus", which Cratinus himself seems to have treated the subject in a very amusing way, especially in his Pytine.
That he was related to the 4th-century comic poet Cratinus Junior
is a reasonable hypothesis but cannot be proven.
and Eupolis
), although his poetry is several times described as relatively graceless, harsh, and crudely abusive (test. 17; 19); his plays continued to be read and studied in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. He wrote 21 comedies. 514 fragments (including ten dubia) of his comedies survive, along with 29 titles. His most famous play is the Pytine.
produced The Knights
, in which he described Cratinus "as a drivelling old man, wandering about with his crown withered, and so utterly neglected by his former admirers that he could not even procure to quench the thirst of which he was perishing" Soon after that play, Cratinus responded by producing a play called Pytine (The Wineflask) in 423 BC, which defeated Connus of Ameipsias and The Clouds
of Aristophanes, which was produced in the same year.
in the part of Paris
), aimed against Pericles
; and the epitome
reveals something of its wit and point. Other plays of Cratinus include
462 fragments of Cratinus survive.
. He appears to have been fond of lofty diction and bold figures, and was most successful in the lyrical parts of his dramas, his choruses being the popular festal songs of his day. According to the statement of a doubtful authority, not borne out by Aristotle
, Cratinus increased the number of actors in comedy to three.
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
of the Old Comedy.
Life
Cratinus was victorious six times at the City DionysiaDionysia
The Dionysia[p] was a large festival in ancient Athens in honor of the god Dionysus, the central events of which were the theatrical performances of dramatic tragedies and, from 487 BC, comedies. It was the second-most important festival after the Panathenaia...
, first probably in the mid- to late 450s BCE (IG II2 2325. 50), and three times at the Lenaia
Lenaia
The Lenaia was an annual festival with a dramatic competition. It was one of the lesser festivals of Athens and Ionia in ancient Greece. The Lenaia took place in Athens in the month of Gamelion, roughly corresponding to January. The festival was in honour of Dionysos Lenaios...
, first probably in the early 430s (IG II2 2325. 121; just before Pherecrates
Pherecrates
Pherecrates, was an Greek poet of Athenian Old Comedy, and a rough contemporary of Cratinus, Crates and Aristophanes. He was victorious at least once at the City Dionysia, first probably in the mid-440s Pherecrates, was an Greek poet of Athenian Old Comedy, and a rough contemporary of Cratinus,...
and Hermippus
Hermippus
Hermippus was the one-eyed Athenian writer of the Old Comedy who flourished during the Peloponnesian War. He was the son of Lysis, and the brother of the comic poet Myrtilus. He was younger than Telecleides and older than Eupolis and Aristophanes. According to the Suda, he wrote forty plays, and...
). He was still competing in 423, when his Pytine took the prize at the City Dionysia; he died shortly thereafter, at a very advanced age, about 97 years (test. 3).
Little is known of his personal history. His father's name was Callimedes, and he himself was a taxiarch. The Suda
Suda
The Suda or Souda is a massive 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia of the ancient Mediterranean world, formerly attributed to an author called Suidas. It is an encyclopedic lexicon, written in Greek, with 30,000 entries, many drawing from ancient sources that have since been lost, and often...
has brought several accusations against Cratinus. First, it accuses Cratinus of excessive cowardice. Secondly, a charge against the moral character. Thirdly, a charge of habitual intemperance. Having examined all these charges, it may be safe to say that all of these charges are unlikely enough to be true, and that there is no evidence that Cratinus really committed such things. Moreover, other writers, including Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
, were silent on these charges, except the third charge, which is sustained by many passages of Aristophanes
Aristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
and other writers. They also refer the "Confession of Cratinus", which Cratinus himself seems to have treated the subject in a very amusing way, especially in his Pytine.
That he was related to the 4th-century comic poet Cratinus Junior
Cratinus Junior
Cratinus the Younger was a comic poet of the Middle Comedy, and was a comtempoary of Plato and of Corydus. He flourished in the middle of 4th century BC, and as late as 324 BC...
is a reasonable hypothesis but cannot be proven.
Works
Cratinus was regarded as one of the three great masters of Athenian Old Comedy (the others being AristophanesAristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
and Eupolis
Eupolis
Eupolis was an Athenian poet of the Old Comedy, who flourished during the time of the Peloponnesian War.-Biography:Nothing whatsoever is known of his personal history. There are few sources on when he first appeared on the stage...
), although his poetry is several times described as relatively graceless, harsh, and crudely abusive (test. 17; 19); his plays continued to be read and studied in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. He wrote 21 comedies. 514 fragments (including ten dubia) of his comedies survive, along with 29 titles. His most famous play is the Pytine.
Pytine
The Pytine (The Wineflask) was Cratinus' most famous play. A grammarian describes the background of the play as follows: In 424 BC, AristophanesAristophanes
Aristophanes , son of Philippus, of the deme Cydathenaus, was a comic playwright of ancient Athens. Eleven of his forty plays survive virtually complete...
produced The Knights
The Knights
The Knights was the fourth play written by Aristophanes, the master of an ancient form of drama known as Old Comedy. The play is a satire on the social and political life of classical Athens during the Peloponnesian War and in this respect it is typical of all the dramatist's early plays...
, in which he described Cratinus "as a drivelling old man, wandering about with his crown withered, and so utterly neglected by his former admirers that he could not even procure to quench the thirst of which he was perishing" Soon after that play, Cratinus responded by producing a play called Pytine (The Wineflask) in 423 BC, which defeated Connus of Ameipsias and The Clouds
The Clouds
The Clouds is a comedy written by the celebrated playwright Aristophanes lampooning intellectual fashions in classical Athens. It was originally produced at the City Dionysia in 423 BC and it was not well received, coming last of the three plays competing at the festival that year. It was revised...
of Aristophanes, which was produced in the same year.
Plot
The plot of the play is as follows: Cratinus, the protagonist and representation of the playwright, becomes caught up in wine. His wife, Comedy (presumably the personification of the author's occupation), takes him to court because she believes that the young poet has betrayed her by cavorting with the young wines (Curiously, one of the young wines in the play is Mendaios, the personification of a very popular type of Ancient Greek wine, and Comedy's counterpart in the suit.). Cratinus argues that it is necessary for him to drink wine, because poets drinking only water cannot produce good plays, but some people (probably the play's Chorus), who do not like his drinking, decide to destroy his wine-containers. The play concludes with the court eventually deciding to allow Cratinus to continue drinking wine.Other Plays
In Grenfell and Hunt's Oxyrhynchus Papyri, iv. (1904), containing a further instalment of their edition of the Behnesa papyri discovered by them in 1896-1897, one of the greatest curiosities is a scrap of paper bearing the argument of a play by Cratinus, the Dionysalexandros (i.e. DionysusDionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
in the part of Paris
Paris (mythology)
Paris , the son of Priam, king of Troy, appears in a number of Greek legends. Probably the best-known was his elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, this being one of the immediate causes of the Trojan War...
), aimed against Pericles
Pericles
Pericles was a prominent and influential statesman, orator, and general of Athens during the city's Golden Age—specifically, the time between the Persian and Peloponnesian wars...
; and the epitome
Epitome
An epitome is a summary or miniature form; an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment....
reveals something of its wit and point. Other plays of Cratinus include
|
Nemesis (mythology) In Greek mythology, Nemesis , also called Rhamnousia/Rhamnusia at her sanctuary at Rhamnous, north of Marathon, was the spirit of divine retribution against those who succumb to hubris . The Greeks personified vengeful fate as a remorseless goddess: the goddess of revenge... ") Trophonius Trophonius or Trophonios was a Greek hero or daimon or god - it was never certain which one - with a rich mythological tradition and an oracular cult at Lebadaea in Boeotia.... ") |
462 fragments of Cratinus survive.
Style
The style of Cratinus has been likened to that of AeschylusAeschylus
Aeschylus was the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians whose work has survived, the others being Sophocles and Euripides, and is often described as the father of tragedy. His name derives from the Greek word aiskhos , meaning "shame"...
. He appears to have been fond of lofty diction and bold figures, and was most successful in the lyrical parts of his dramas, his choruses being the popular festal songs of his day. According to the statement of a doubtful authority, not borne out by Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, Cratinus increased the number of actors in comedy to three.
Standard Edition
The standard edition of the fragments and testimonia is in Kassel-Austin, Poetae Comici Graeci IV; Kock numbers are now outdated and should not be used.Further reading
- Meineke, Frag. Com. Grace, i. pp. 43 – 58, ii. pp. 13 – 232-;
- Bergk, Comment, de Rdiq. Com. Alt. Ant.
- Kock, Com. Attic. Frag., i. pp. 11–130.