Means of exciting Humor in Menander’s comedy in the Light of “Hated Man” and Lost Plays Fragments

Document Type : Original Article

Author

faculty of arts, Helwan University ,Cairo,Egypt

Abstract

This paper explores different means of creating Humor in Menander’s comedies, especially in his complete comedy play”Δύσκολος ““Hated man” and his other fragments discovered in recent years. Menander (342-290 B.C) was a Greek dramatist and the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy during the fourth century B.C. He created different means of Humor and suggested solutions for some social problems to entertain the audience and make them aware of such problems.  Menander utilized the interjections of laughter during the performance of the plays to grab the attention of the audience and to change the entrance of his typical characters.  The study sheds light on all these means by focusing on four main points: First: the reason for using Humor in dramatic actions, Second: means of creating Humor depending on comic situations, Third: means of creating Humor depending on the funny behavior of the characters, Finally: means of creating Humor depending on the funny expressions and diction.

Keywords


  1. أولًا- قائمة الاختصارات:

    1. = Aristotle
    2. = Menander

    ثانيًا- المصادر البردية الأصلية:

    1. Oxy.= OxyrhynchusPapyri,edited by B.P.Grenfell, A.S.Hunt, H.I.Bell, E.Lobel, and Others, London,(1898),Vols:

    - Men., Δύσκολος ,

    XXVII, Nos. 2467, LL (393-399), LL (488-496), LL (502-518).

    1. E.G. Turner, J.R. Rea, L. Koenen, and J.M.F. Pomar. 1962. (39).

    - Men., κόλαξ  ,

     X, Nos. 1237, ed. B.P. Grenfell and A.S. Hunt. 1914. (13).

    - Men., μισουμένος,

     VII, Nos. 1013,338,341, ed. A.S. Hunt. 1910. (10).

    - Men., Σαμία,

    XXXVIII, Nos. 2831 LL (68-86), ed. G.M. Browne, J.D. Thomas, E.G. Turner, M.E. Weinstein and others. 1971. (54).

     

    1. PSI = Papiri greci e latini.(Pubblicazioni Della Società Italiana per la ricerca dei papiri greci e latini in Egitto). Florence. The first eleven volumes were edited by a number of persons under the general direction of G. Vitelli and M. Norsa. A list of reeditions of documentary texts is given by P. Pruneti in Flor. XIX.2,

    -Men., Θεοφορουμένη,

    XII, fasc. I, ed. M. Norsa; fasc. II, ed. V. Bartoletti. 1943—1951. Nos. 1280, fr. 223, unnumbered Florence papyrus. nos. 1268—1271 are ostraca. [MF 2.88; FL].

    1. Comicorum Atticorum Fragmenta, edited by Kock Theodor, Leipzig: press of teubneri, 1888 reprinted in 1930.

    - Men., ἱπποκομός, fr. 249

    - Men., ὄργη , Fr.367.

    - Men., Πλόκιον, fr.402.

    - Men., χήρα , fr.514.

    - Men., Ψευδηρακλής , fr.518.

    - Men., unidentified play, fr.804.

    - Men., unidentified play, Fr. 924.

    ثالثًا - المصادر البردية والأدبية المترجمة:

    1. The Art of poetry.Translated by Ingram Bywater, London: press and published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.
    2. Arnold Gomme- Francis Sandbach, Menander a Commentary, Oxford: Oxford press, 2003.
    3. Peter Brown, Menander the plays and Fragments, Oxford: Oxford press, 2008.
    4. Rudolf Kassel –Austin, Poetae Comici Graeci, German: Press of Berlin, 1998.
    5. Stobaeus, Florlbegium in Greek Anthology, Translated by Paton W.R and Wiliiam Rogar, London: press by Loeb Classical Library, 1921.
    6. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG-E), University of California, Irvine, 2000.

    رابعًا- المراجع العربية:

    1. عبد المعطي شعراوي، ترجمة كوميديا الفظ للشاعر الكوميدي الإغريقي مناندروس، الكويت، المجلس الوطني للثقافة والفنون والآداب، 2015.

    -Abdel Moati Shaarway, Targama Comedia Al Fath llshaer al comedy al Eghreky Menandros, al kwuit, al Maglis al Watnni llthkafa WA al Fonon WA Aladab, 2015.

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