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Δύσκολος: Ή Μισάνθρωπος
Ο θεός Πάνας κάνει έναν αριστοκράτη να ερωτευτεί παράφορα την κόρη ενός ιδιότροπου χωριάτη. Μέσα από την περιπετειώδη πλοκή, έρχεται το ευτράπελο τέλος.
Ο Μένανδος, κορυφαίος εκπρόσωπος της Νέας Κωμωδίας, γεννήθηκε το 342/1 π.Χ. στην Αθήνα. Μαθητής του Θεόφραστου, φίλος του Επίκουρου και του Δημήτριου του Φαληρέα, έζησε όλη του τη ζωή στη γενέτειρά του. Πέθανε το 293/2 π.Χ. (κατά την παράδοση, πνίγηκε στη θάλασσα). Έγραψε περισσότερες από 100 κωμωδίες, από τις οποίες πλήρεις σώζονται τρεις και αρκετές άλλες αποσπασματικά. Στα έργα του, όπου κυριαρχεί ο αστικός κόσμος της Αθήνας, το κωμικό στοιχείο προκύπτει κυρίως από τα αναπάντεχα και τις συμπτώσεις, τις παρανοήσεις και τα παιγνίδια της τύχης. Οι Ρωμαίοι ποιητές Τερέντιος και Πλαύτος διασκεύασαν και μεταποίησαν κωμωδίες του.
Ο Μένανδος, κορυφαίος εκπρόσωπος της Νέας Κωμωδίας, γεννήθηκε το 342/1 π.Χ. στην Αθήνα. Μαθητής του Θεόφραστου, φίλος του Επίκουρου και του Δημήτριου του Φαληρέα, έζησε όλη του τη ζωή στη γενέτειρά του. Πέθανε το 293/2 π.Χ. (κατά την παράδοση, πνίγηκε στη θάλασσα). Έγραψε περισσότερες από 100 κωμωδίες, από τις οποίες πλήρεις σώζονται τρεις και αρκετές άλλες αποσπασματικά. Στα έργα του, όπου κυριαρχεί ο αστικός κόσμος της Αθήνας, το κωμικό στοιχείο προκύπτει κυρίως από τα αναπάντεχα και τις συμπτώσεις, τις παρανοήσεις και τα παιγνίδια της τύχης. Οι Ρωμαίοι ποιητές Τερέντιος και Πλαύτος διασκεύασαν και μεταποίησαν κωμωδίες του.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 318
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About the author
Menander
123books43followersGreek:
Menander (ca. 342�291 BC), the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy, was the son of well-to-do parents; his father Diopeithes is identified by some with the Athenian general and governor of the Thracian Chersonese known from the speech of Demosthenes De Chersoneso. He presumably derived his taste for comic drama from his uncle Alexis.
Menander (ca. 342�291 BC), the best-known representative of Athenian New Comedy, was the son of well-to-do parents; his father Diopeithes is identified by some with the Athenian general and governor of the Thracian Chersonese known from the speech of Demosthenes De Chersoneso. He presumably derived his taste for comic drama from his uncle Alexis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
June 3, 2019
A misanthrope acts boring.
This play near had me snoring.
This play near had me snoring.
December 9, 2022
إن خوض المتاعب يستحث النضوج.
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June 1, 2017I'm finished!!! my first play read start to finish in the original greek 🙌 🎉 🥂
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October 2, 2012"Seinfeld" 400 bc
May 2, 2020
not as good as my boy aristophanes
May 9, 2014
Originally read from November 03 to 15, 2012
The story is so dull and the language so useless. None of the characters possess the creativity necessary for a comedy to be funny, and in many ways it simply sounds like Menander creating barely-differing versions of himself to cross-communicate and feed his ego-humour. I imagine him chuckling to himself, hunched over his desk at night writing this thinking "I'm a comic genius!" - I get it. I do it too. But I know that the humour of a group of characters is very often the humour of the story. I might re-read to get a fresh idea of my criticisms.
Upon re-reading this today 8 May 2014, I agree with my past criticisms and add this: I didn't like the instance of body-policing, slurs against women, that the primary focus was on a couple to-be-married, and there was less focus on Khemon and why he was so aggressively reclusive. For these new criticisms, I bring my rating down from 2 stars, to 1.
The story is so dull and the language so useless. None of the characters possess the creativity necessary for a comedy to be funny, and in many ways it simply sounds like Menander creating barely-differing versions of himself to cross-communicate and feed his ego-humour. I imagine him chuckling to himself, hunched over his desk at night writing this thinking "I'm a comic genius!" - I get it. I do it too. But I know that the humour of a group of characters is very often the humour of the story. I might re-read to get a fresh idea of my criticisms.
Upon re-reading this today 8 May 2014, I agree with my past criticisms and add this: I didn't like the instance of body-policing, slurs against women, that the primary focus was on a couple to-be-married, and there was less focus on Khemon and why he was so aggressively reclusive. For these new criticisms, I bring my rating down from 2 stars, to 1.
October 24, 2015
تنها در چند مورد معدود موقعیت یا گفتارهای خنده دار درش پیدا می شد. اما سوای میزان کمیک بودن این نمایشنامه، آنچه برای من جالب بود یکی آن حرفی است که شخصیت بدقلق و بداخلاق و مردم گریز در پایان داستان به عنوان دلیل عزلت و احتراز از زیاده طلبی خود عنوان می کند - اینکه اگر همه ی آدم ها اینگونه بودند نه جنگی بود و نه نزاعی و نه اموری از این دست - و دیگری نفس کشف لحظه ای محبت از طرف این مرد - آنجا که می گفت تا حال ثروت پرستی دیگران مرا از آنان منزجر کرده بود اما اکنون کسی را می بینم که گرچه من جز بدی و بی اعتنایی به او نکردم اما به نجات جان من همت گذاشت - آشکارا در زمانی قبل از مسیح طنین مسیحی دارد! .
اما در مورد کلیت داستان که انکار توانایی آدمی در زندگی منزوی و دور از مردم است، می توان رد آموزه های ارسطو را دید. زیرا مناندر دوست - یا حتی شاگرد - تئوفراستوس بوده و تئوفراستوس خود شاگرد ارسطو. و همه نظریه ی ارسطو در باب مدنی بالطبع بودن آدمی را شنیده ایم
اما در مورد کلیت داستان که انکار توانایی آدمی در زندگی منزوی و دور از مردم است، می توان رد آموزه های ارسطو را دید. زیرا مناندر دوست - یا حتی شاگرد - تئوفراستوس بوده و تئوفراستوس خود شاگرد ارسطو. و همه نظریه ی ارسطو در باب مدنی بالطبع بودن آدمی را شنیده ایم
March 7, 2024
�'Het Chagrijn' is een niet zo grappige komedie, maar is voor de rest wel goed! Helemaal niet zo ergerlijk of pijnlijk om te lezen, als antieke komedies meestal zijn, dus win for Menander.
•De rol van de vrouw in dit werk is dat er geen rol is (op een bediende en 'moedertje' na)...
•Love dat de bromance meer aandacht kreeg dan de romance
•De rol van de vrouw in dit werk is dat er geen rol is (op een bediende en 'moedertje' na)...
•Love dat de bromance meer aandacht kreeg dan de romance
October 19, 2020
Tourists once walked into my house thinking it a cafe. It was hilarious, but I can see multiple interruptions might make one grouchy.
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June 28, 2023
Αρχαία Ελληνική Λογοτεχνία
1) Θεογονία / Έργα και Ημέραι / Ασπίς Ηρακλέους (750-650 π.Χ.)
2) Λυρική Ποίηση (630-570 π.Χ.)
3) 3) Πέρσαι (472 π.Χ.)
4) Δύσκολος: Ή Μισάνθρωπος (317 π.Χ.)
χρόνος ανάγνωσης κριτικής: 23 δευτερόλεπτα
Η πρώτη μου (αναγνωστική) επαφή με την αρχαία ελληνική κωμωδία.
Και πιο συγκεκριμένα με τη Νέα Κωμωδία.
Από την Αρχαία Κωμωδία παρακολούθησα (μόνο) τους Βάτραχους του Αριστοφάνη.
Στη Νέα Κωμωδία σε αντίθεση με την Αρχαία Κωμωδία λείπει εντελώς
η πολιτική σάτιρα και το χοντροκομμένο και σκωπτικό χιούμορ
όπως επίσης και το άσεμνο κυριαρχεί στη γλώσσα και τη σκηνική εικόνα,
και ο αρκετά μειωμένος ρόλος του Χορού.
Μου θύμισε αρκετά κυπριώτικο σκετς ή ελληνική κωμική σειρά από τα 90's.
Με κωμικό στοιχείο και ευτράπελες καταστάσεις έρχεται το καλό τέλος της ιστορίας.
Ίσως να μου άρεσε (ακόμη) περισσότερο αν το παρακολουθούσα στη σκηνή.
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November 18, 2024«کنمون: از دست خلایق به کجا میشه گریخت؟ حتی اگر کسی بخواهد خودش را دار بزند نمی‌توان� در تنهایی این کار را بکند.»
October 4, 2014
Funny stuff. All sitcoms are based in this model. There is nothing new under the sun.
This is a comedy premiered on the S III BC. This is the mother of all the situation comedies we know. The story per se is not remarkable: a young man falls inlove with a young girl that turns out to be a farmer's daughter. He has to overcome a myriad of obstacles to obtain her love, but in the end, after all kinds of funny situations, everything ends up well.
This is a comedy premiered on the S III BC. This is the mother of all the situation comedies we know. The story per se is not remarkable: a young man falls inlove with a young girl that turns out to be a farmer's daughter. He has to overcome a myriad of obstacles to obtain her love, but in the end, after all kinds of funny situations, everything ends up well.
March 22, 2024
This was okay, not very funny, not very entertaining, but not the worst Greek work I've read (looking at you Works and Days). The writing was alright, but it wasn't my favourite. Overall pretty meh.
November 29, 2024
Es que no tengo nada que decir. Supongo que lo único que encuentro de interés es que se introduce en la comedia la posibilidad de cambio del carácter-tipo del Misántropo, que no hubiera sido posible en una obra de la Comedia Antigua. Cnemión deja de ser un viejo gruñón y asocial cuando aquel quien rechaza y humilla está allí para salvarle, y de repente se da cuenta de que no merece la pena ser un viejo desagradable cuando se está al borde de la muerte todos los días y hay quien, por su deber para con la responsabilidad social, está dispuesto a cuidarlo (su descendencia, su mujer a la que no quiere y sus esclavos). ¿Vosotros creéis que esto se lo puedo contar a mi bisabuela? Ancianos gruñones los ha habido siempre...
September 27, 2023
Froskene va artiger grrgrr
January 18, 2016
There's something endearing about the idea of a super grumpy old man, even if his presence inspires the opposite. Knemon is hilarious and he is really the heart and soul of this play. The comedy is funny in any day and age because the reactions Knemon gets are so natural. An angry old divorcee on a farm in the middle of nowhere, the poor guy just wants everyone else to get lost. Amazing to think that in the ancient world where barbarity, wilderness and uncertainty lurked just outside the walls of civilization that even then there must have existed Knemons - crusty old bastards with zero fucks to give. By the end they literally drag him into the wedding celebration to dance for his own good. Knemon would not make it in the 21st century. Or maybe he does after all...
November 15, 2023
Veldig gøy
November 17, 2022
It doesn't seem right to rate a play that doesn't have its text fully intact/available, but Menander's sophisticated New Comedy definitely made me miss Aristophanes's buffoonish and imaginative Old Comedy. Maybe I'm just a Dad Joke(r) at heart.
I read the translation by Norma Miller, titled Old Cantankerous.
I read the translation by Norma Miller, titled Old Cantankerous.
March 25, 2008
Hellenism is to humor what Suetonius is to fact checking.
April 7, 2023
Gohja, beetje verwarrend, mooi einde, was beter geweest op de planken 2400 jaar geleden
March 5, 2018
The Dyskolos, or The Bad-Tempered Man, is the most complete work we have by a founding master (perhaps THE founding master), of comedy. I found this play to be incredibly readable. The basic plot is that a man, Sostratos, who falls in love with a farmer’s daughter. Knemon is the bad-tempered man in the play, and refuses Sostratos’s intentions. Knemon’s son, Gorgias, tries to persuade Sostratos against pursuing his sister.
“You surely know, a poor man, when he’s wronged,
Is hardest of all men to tamper with.
First, he rouses pity, then he treats
All that he’s suffered not as simply wrong
But as an outrage.�
In a ridiculous piece of theatre, Knemon and Gorgias both find themselves at the bottom of a well. Sostratos saves them. Ultimately a double wedding is set up, which includes a final comedic scene as a grumpy Knemon is brought groggily to the festivities.
The comedy still works, although this general pattern of a comedy has been repeated so many times in the 2300+ years since Menander authored the play that it is rather predictable. Still, this is a very short dramatic piece, and when acted properly (I have only read it), I would guess in the right hands that the physical comedy would still play well.
See my other reviews here!
“You surely know, a poor man, when he’s wronged,
Is hardest of all men to tamper with.
First, he rouses pity, then he treats
All that he’s suffered not as simply wrong
But as an outrage.�
In a ridiculous piece of theatre, Knemon and Gorgias both find themselves at the bottom of a well. Sostratos saves them. Ultimately a double wedding is set up, which includes a final comedic scene as a grumpy Knemon is brought groggily to the festivities.
The comedy still works, although this general pattern of a comedy has been repeated so many times in the 2300+ years since Menander authored the play that it is rather predictable. Still, this is a very short dramatic piece, and when acted properly (I have only read it), I would guess in the right hands that the physical comedy would still play well.
See my other reviews here!
March 19, 2017
Menadar je svakako seme iz kojeg ponikla drama u modernom shvatanju te reči. Ovaj pisac je možda čak i veći genije od Aristofana čiji je intelekt nesrazmeran.
Evo samo par delova zbog kojih vredi čitati Menandra.:
"Gorgija: Ja verujem da za svakoga, bio on bogat ili siromašan, postoji jedna granica gde će sreća prestati da ga služi. Imućnog čoveka če, mislim, sreća podržati sve dok se njome bude razumno koristio, ne čineći ništa rđavo i grešno.Ali, ako se u dobru ponese i ogreši o nekoga, i njegovoj sreći je kraj. Isto je i sa siromahom: ako ga nemaština ne navede da počini neko nedelo, može se nadati da će da zasluži poverenje ida će jednog dana poterati i dobra sećanja. Shvataš li šta hoću da kažem? Nemoj se, samo zato što si bogati, suviše na to oslanjati i nemoj na nas gledati sa visine samo zato što smo sirotinja. Svojim postupcima dikaži da zaslužuješ dobro u kojem se nalaziš."
"Sostrat: Samo o novcu govoriš, a to je najmanje pouzdana stvar od svih stvari. Kad bi bar znao da ćeš ga imati zauvek, onda dobro, dragi moj, - nemoj ga nikad nikome davati. Ali novac uopšte ne pripada tebi, nego Sreći koja ti ga je samo dala na korišćenje. Zašto da onda ikome išta uskoraćuješ? Znaj oče, da Sreča može jednoga dana sav novac opet oduzeti od tebe i dati ga nekome drugom, ko to uopšte ne zaslužuje. I zato mislim da bi svoje bogatstvo trebalo da koristiš velikodušno, pomažući svakome i čineći što više ljudi imućnima. To je nešto neprolazno. A ako ti dopadneš nevolje, uvek ćeš imati kuda da se okreneš za pomoć- Prijatelj koga svako vidi nesravnjeno je vredniji od skrivenog blaga koje si negde zakopao."
Evo samo par delova zbog kojih vredi čitati Menandra.:
"Gorgija: Ja verujem da za svakoga, bio on bogat ili siromašan, postoji jedna granica gde će sreća prestati da ga služi. Imućnog čoveka če, mislim, sreća podržati sve dok se njome bude razumno koristio, ne čineći ništa rđavo i grešno.Ali, ako se u dobru ponese i ogreši o nekoga, i njegovoj sreći je kraj. Isto je i sa siromahom: ako ga nemaština ne navede da počini neko nedelo, može se nadati da će da zasluži poverenje ida će jednog dana poterati i dobra sećanja. Shvataš li šta hoću da kažem? Nemoj se, samo zato što si bogati, suviše na to oslanjati i nemoj na nas gledati sa visine samo zato što smo sirotinja. Svojim postupcima dikaži da zaslužuješ dobro u kojem se nalaziš."
"Sostrat: Samo o novcu govoriš, a to je najmanje pouzdana stvar od svih stvari. Kad bi bar znao da ćeš ga imati zauvek, onda dobro, dragi moj, - nemoj ga nikad nikome davati. Ali novac uopšte ne pripada tebi, nego Sreći koja ti ga je samo dala na korišćenje. Zašto da onda ikome išta uskoraćuješ? Znaj oče, da Sreča može jednoga dana sav novac opet oduzeti od tebe i dati ga nekome drugom, ko to uopšte ne zaslužuje. I zato mislim da bi svoje bogatstvo trebalo da koristiš velikodušno, pomažući svakome i čineći što više ljudi imućnima. To je nešto neprolazno. A ako ti dopadneš nevolje, uvek ćeš imati kuda da se okreneš za pomoć- Prijatelj koga svako vidi nesravnjeno je vredniji od skrivenog blaga koje si negde zakopao."
November 20, 2024
x scuola, letto tra pullman e metro (letteralmente venti minuti). speriamo che l'interrogazione vada bene. terenzio meglio ma si vede che la base è buona, c'è potenziale. scontato (rip) ma non ci aspettavamo niente di diverso. se fossi unx verx accademicx rileggerei bene con tutte le note confrontando il greco ma sono fake quindi non credo proprio
January 27, 2025
griekse komedies zijn meestal grappig, behalve als je het probeert uit te leggen aan iemand, dan valt alle humor weg en klinkt het heel droog. Dit had om te beginnen al geen humor, en was ook heel droog qua verhaal. Aristophanes je blijft de beste ik beloof! de vrouwen en slaven waren echt losers in dit stuk omfg ik ben tegen menander 👎
March 18, 2025
Much more philosophical and less funny than Aristophanes. I like it though, feels very modern to me.
December 15, 2024
É claro que, dentro das obras dadas na cadeira, esta foi a mais ignorada sendo a mais fixe.
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February 11, 2021Read for school.
April 18, 2016
New Comedy is the very inspiration from which Shakespeare based many of his own comedies, and where modern soap operas find their plot lines, yet I always believed it to be vastly more inaccessible than Old Comedy. Aristophanes demonstrated mastery of both language and the stage in his plays, but Menander too, writing fifty years later, shines through with his Dyskolos.
The play differs from standard Old Comedy or Tragedy in that it has no chorus, and focuses on stock characters - the beautiful young girl, the stupid slave, the handsome beau. The Dyskolos focuses on Knemon, a grumpy old man who hates everyone and everything, and Sostratos, who's trying to marry his daughter, Myrrhine. Menander cleverly frames the plot around the god Pan, and intersperses the play with funny set pieces from the slaves to ensure that the audience is not bored by continual monologuing from Sostratos or Knemon.
The play itself functions almost tragically, with each character's flaws being pointed out and emphasised with each of their speeches. Sostratos is wealthy but lazy; Knemon is stubborn but just and fair; Gorgias is prejudiced but honest. Menander brings each character to life with startling vibrancy and this allows him to explore relationship between characters who normally would not interact, like Simike and Sicon, for example.
The play features an unnatural amount of characters, but Menander works hard to ensure that no more than four are ever present on stage at the same time, thereby still conforming to the rules of the stage in general. Wholeheartedly I believe The Dyskolos deserving of the first prize it received, because its plot is tangible, humorous, and still applicable today.
The play differs from standard Old Comedy or Tragedy in that it has no chorus, and focuses on stock characters - the beautiful young girl, the stupid slave, the handsome beau. The Dyskolos focuses on Knemon, a grumpy old man who hates everyone and everything, and Sostratos, who's trying to marry his daughter, Myrrhine. Menander cleverly frames the plot around the god Pan, and intersperses the play with funny set pieces from the slaves to ensure that the audience is not bored by continual monologuing from Sostratos or Knemon.
The play itself functions almost tragically, with each character's flaws being pointed out and emphasised with each of their speeches. Sostratos is wealthy but lazy; Knemon is stubborn but just and fair; Gorgias is prejudiced but honest. Menander brings each character to life with startling vibrancy and this allows him to explore relationship between characters who normally would not interact, like Simike and Sicon, for example.
The play features an unnatural amount of characters, but Menander works hard to ensure that no more than four are ever present on stage at the same time, thereby still conforming to the rules of the stage in general. Wholeheartedly I believe The Dyskolos deserving of the first prize it received, because its plot is tangible, humorous, and still applicable today.
January 17, 2019
I read Dyskolos for a class this semester, and while I was initially worried I would struggle to understand and enjoy a play from the 4th century BC, I was happily surprised at how entertaining it turned out to be. The plot revolves around a young, well-to-do man called Sostratus who falls in love with the nameless daughter of the fearsome misanthrope Knemon (or Cnemon, in my translation) and, desperate to marry Knemon's beautiful daughter, suffers through a bit of trouble to earn her hand. Granted, my translation had some rather modern expressions and insults which seemed a bit bizarre given the fact that Dyskolos is an Ancient Greek comedy, but I nevertheless enjoyed it and wish I would have come across the play sooner as its author, Menander, apparently wrote over 100 comedies and was incredibly successful in his time, which is fascinating.
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