Alcaeus (comic poet)

Alcaeus (Ancient Greek: Ἀλκαῖος), the son of Miccus, was an Athenian comic poet who wrote ten plays.[1] His comedies marked the transition between Old Comedy and Middle Comedy. In 388 BC, his play Pasiphae was awarded the fifth (i.e. last) place prize.

Fabricius mentions another Alcaeus, a tragedian.[2] Some scholars thought that they were the same person, and calling Alcaeus "a tragedian" rose from an erroneous reading of his title "comoedo-tragoedia".[3]

Surviving Titles and Fragments

The titles of eight plays still exist, along with forty fragments altogether, most of which suggest that he worked mainly in mythological subjects.

Adephai Moicheuomenai ("The Adulterous Sisters")
Callisto
Endymion
Hieros Gamos ("Holy Marriage")
Komadotragodia ("Comedo-Tragedy")
Palaistra ("Palaestra")
Panymedes
Pasiphae (See above)

References

Suidas α 1274
Fabricius, Johann Albert, Biblioth. Grace, ii. p. 282.
William Smith, ed. (1870). "Alcaeus (7)". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p. 96. Archived from the original on 2011-01-11.

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[1] Suidas α 1274

[2] Fabricius, Johann Albert, Biblioth. Grace, ii. p. 282.

[DGRBM-3] William Smith, ed. (1870). "Alcaeus (7)". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. p. 96. Archived from the original on 2011-01-11.