Epicharmus of Cos
Greek dramatist and philosopher, originator of Doric comedy.
Last updated
Epicharmus of Cos (variantly Epicharmus of Kos, Epicharmus Comicus or Epicharmus Comicus Syracusanus) was a Greek dramatist and philosopher, thought to have lived between c. 550 and c. 460 BC. He is often credited with being one of the first comedic writers, having originated the Doric or Sicilian comedic form.
Quick Facts
- Field
- Drama, philosophy
- Nationality
- Greek (Sicilian/Doric tradition)
Facts from the source article.
Background
Most information about Epicharmus comes from Athenaeus, Suda, and Diogenes Laërtius, with fragments and comments in other ancient authors. The standard edition of his fragments was made by Kaibel (1890). Plato mentions Epicharmus in his dialogues Gorgias and Theaetetus.
Aristotle (Poetics 5.1449b5) writes that Epicharmus and Phormis invented comic plots. All biographical information is suspect. His birthplace is unknown; late commentators suggest Syracusan, from the Sikanian city of Krastos, or from Astypalea on Kos.
Diogenes Laërtius records his father as the physician Helothales, who moved the family to Megara in Sicily. Epicharmus became a follower of Pythagoras. Sometime after 484 BC he likely lived in Syracuse and worked for tyrants Gelo and Hiero I. He wrote on philosophy, medicine, natural science, linguistics, and ethics. He taught that continuous exercise of virtue could overcome heredity.
He died in his 90s (Lucian says at 97). A bronze statue was dedicated to him in Syracuse, with an inscription by Theocritus. Alexander von Humboldt made Epicharmus the protagonist of his only literary text, published in 1795.
More in Classical & Medieval Poets
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Epicharmus of Cos (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced