Crates (Greek: Κράτης) was an Athenian Old Comic poet, who was victorious three times at the City Dionysia, first probably in 450 BC.
[1] His career had apparently ended by 424 BC, when Aristophanes portrays him in The Knights as a figure from the past.
[3] Aristotle claims in the Poetics that Crates was the first comic poet to create complete plots, rather than personal abuse, and his surviving fragments support this.
[4] He was also supposedly the first Athenian comic poet to write a drunk character.
[3] According to the Suda[5] and an anonymous writer on comedy,[6] he wrote seven plays; another source[7] says eight.