Athenian playwright Menander was recognized as an outstanding author of Greek comedy. His characters are ordinary people, put in amusing situations - jealous wives, amorous young men, mean fathers and indulging mothers, hangers-on and slaves, soldiers and courtesans. Whatever class his heroes belong to, no matter how different their characters, the young poet does not allow evil to ridicule them or mock them. The poetâs irony is good-natured and, contrary to the obvious weaknesses of the heroes, sympathy for people is palpable in it. One of them also includes the comedy of Menander "Bruise", a summary of which is presented in this article.
Author and date of writing
The great master of the new-atatic comedy Menander (342-291 BC) was rich and respected by kings and philosophers. Nephew of the poet Alesid, he received a philosophical education. While the playwright was alive, his rivals enjoyed greater fame and glory than he did. Menander died while swimming in Piraeus, and the posthumous glory of the poet overshadowed everyone. Menander was inferior only to Homer. Menanderâs new plays and comedies differed from the ancient ones in that, as part of the action, they lacked parts of the choir, songs and dances.
In total, about 105 of his comedies are known, which received a second life at the end of the 19th century, when numerous finds in Egypt recovered significant passages of his works from oblivion. They did not have puns and obscenities, but only the desire to show people in ordinary situations. He portrayed both the serious and funny sides of life. The main theme of his plays was romantic love.
Such works include the play of Menander "Bruise", staged in 316 BC. e. and received the first prize. There are five acts in the play. The main character of the comedy is the sullen misogynist Knemon. Even the wife, who went to live with her son, could not stand this scruff. Knemon stayed with the old maid and daughter. God wants to reward a humble and pious girl and sends her the love of the son of a wealthy landowner. But the stubborn father does not allow the young man of Sostratus to come close. The whole action of the play is aimed at overcoming the obstacles in the way of lovers.
"From Biryuk Biryuk"
At the beginning of Meanderâs play "Bruise", the god Pan leaves the cave. The manors of Knemon and Gorgias are visible from its entrance. On behalf of Pan and the narrative is being conducted, he briefly tells the background of events. By his will, a wealthy young man fell in love with his only daughter, a sour.
The protagonist Knemon lost faith in people and by the end of his life he simply hated them. The peasant Knemon, âof the biryuk biryukâ, probably, from his very birth was a grumbling. During his long century, he did not utter a single good word. And he did not make speeches with anyone first. He married a widow who had a son Gorgii. He quarreled constantly with his wife, after the birth of her daughter, in whom she did not cherish a soul, the life of the household became completely unbearable.
The wife had to return to her former home, where her son lived from his first marriage. Stepson Gorgias, whose house is very close, despite the bad temper of Knemon, is well related to his stepfather. Knemon lives in a village near Athens - in Attica. Without laziness, he cultivates the field and raises his daughter. The kind girl is growing up, âshe knows no sin,â and Pan decided to participate in her fate. Arranged so that the son of the landowner here saw the girl and fell in love.
Sostratus "in trouble"
We continue the summary of Menanderâs play âThe Bruiseâ. Sostratus, a rich young man, having seen the daughter of a peasant, fell in love with her and began to make all kinds of attempts to get to know her and her father. A friend of Sostrat Herey joked with him that they supposedly saw the girl and immediately fell in love. Sostratus replied: âYou are ridiculous. But Iâm in trouble. â And he asked a friend for advice. Hereia advised the lover to act decisively.
But the young man had already sent his servant Pyrrhus, who soon returned in a panic, to scout for the beloved manorâs estate â he knocked him down with clods of earth, ânearly killedâ him. He ran after Pyrrius all the way and threw everything that comes to hand: pears, stones. The slave advises his master Sostratus to beware, as the "farmer has gone crazy" completely: "I beg you, leave!"
"I got down to business, hold on to the end"
We continue the retelling of the comedy of Menander "Bruise". The girlâs father appears on the scene and talks to himself that, how happy Perseus was, he could hide from everyone, he could turn to stone. Seeing Sostratus timidly standing nearby, Knemon burst into an angry tirade and went into the house. His daughter with a jug enters the scene: an old servant, scooping up water from a well, dropped a bucket there. Father returned and ordered to warm the water. Sostratus, seeing the girl, offers her help: he will bring water. The girl agreed, and their acquaintance took place.
The young man is noticed by the slave Gorgia Dove and tells the owner that a young man walks nearby, who has âlaid eyesâ on his sister, and the intentions of the young man are unknown. Sostratus enters. At first glance, Gorgias misjudged him: "it is visible in the eyes - a scoundrel." But a decent and decisive Gorgius nevertheless decided to talk with the one who entered. He said that although they are not rich, they have a dignity, and he will not allow offending his sister.
Socrates replies that he is rich, but in his thoughts he did not deceive the girl. He did not come to see her, but to talk with his father, he agreed to the girl and âwithout a dowryâ to marry. Without her, he cannot imagine his life. After the conversation, Gorgiy realizes that he was mistaken about the youth. The girlâs brother honestly tells the lover that it will be very difficult to agree with the stepfather. Upon reflection, he gives Sostratus some advice and promises to help him.
âI agree on everythingâ
Gorgias says that there is a plot of land near Knemon where he works alone. Sometimes a daughter helps him in the field. And somehow the old man said that he would give her in marriage only to someone whose character he âlikedâ. Gorgiy, of course, can talk with his stepfather about his sister's marriage. But he knows in advance what will be: the "beast of the fierce" in Knemon will be awakened by the "sleek look" of Sostratus.
In order to âenter into the imageâ, a noble young man asks for a hoe, goes to the field with slave Dan and engages in unusual work for him all day, so that Knemon decides that the young man is a poor man and earns his living by his own labor. Sostratus and Gorgius hope in this way to at least reconcile Knemon with the thought of marrying their only daughter.
"The finest hour"
The action of Menanderâs play âBruiseâ is transferred to the sanctuary of Pan, which is located near the estate of Knemon. Relatives of Sostratus are preparing for sacrifices. The noise of the ceremonial preparations infuriates the old man. And when the slave Geta and the cook Sicon knock on the old man's door and ask for help, Knemon goes wild. Sostratus returns from the field, relatives hardly recognize him - so he changed in a day. From unusual work, the young man was hunched over and somehow moved his legs. Having seen the preparations for the feast, he goes after Gorgias, with whom he has already made friends.
Knemon also returned from the field. He is looking for a hoe and a bucket - their old servant has dropped into the well. In anger, the old man descends into the well, but the rotten rope breaks and he flies into the water. The maid runs out of the house with a wild cry and runs into the cave to Pan. Gorgias understands that the "finest hour" of Sostratus has come. The young men together pull a wailing and groaning old man from the well. The clever and noble Gorgias praises the efforts of Sostratus, which he applied to save Knemon. The grumpy old man softens and asks the stepson to take care of the future of his sister.
Happy Sostratus invites Gorgias to marry his sister. But an honest young man refuses, he is confused by the fact that he is poor and does not want to âundeservedlyâ use âsomeone else's goodâ. At first, Sostratusâs father, Kallipid, was dissatisfied with two âunequal marriagesâ in the family. But still he gives his consent. Old Knemon is also for rent. The play ends with the words of one of the slaves: âRejoice. We defeated the unbearable old man. â
"Misanthrope"
The comedy of the Athenian playwright "Bruise" has survived and has survived to the present day. Her other names are "Inhumans" and "Hater." Unfortunately, quotes and many episodes are omitted in the brief summary of Menanderâs play âThe Bruiseâ. The author was twenty-five years old at the time of writing the comedy, but despite such a young age, he created a highly moral work, showed himself to be an experienced master, and at the festival in honor of Dionysus was awarded the first prize.
At the center of the comedy are educated and serious young heroes. They are opposed by an old man embittered by the whole world. Knemon leads a life full of labor and affliction. The scenes where the tricks of the cunning slave and the cook infuriate him are quite comical, and he falls into the traps set by them.
Accustomed to living alone, the old man, without calling anyone for help, independently descends into the well. Disaster happened to him - he breaks down. Knemon come to his aid and, moved by the kindness of people, he transfers to Gorgia the rights of the head of the family. The comedy ends with a celebration in which an old man who eschews people is forced to take part.
Menander was a supporter of the idea of ââDemetrius Falersky, who argued that unequal marriages contribute to social peace and the resolution of problems in society. He sought to rally the various layers of free citizens. In the comedy, the image of the wealthy strata is represented by Kallipid, ready to become related with poor, but honest people. Bruise Knemon represents in a poem of radical democrats. As shown by the analysis of the "Bruises" of Menander, the contradictions that arose between the heroes of the work are imaginary. And Menander thus expresses the idea of ââthe natural community of all people.