Dyskolos

Dyskolos (Greek: Δύσκολος, pronounced [dýskolos], translated as The Grouch, The Misanthrope, The Curmudgeon, The Bad-tempered Man or Old Cantankerous) is an Ancient Greek comedy by Menander, the only one of his plays, and of the whole New Comedy, that has survived in nearly complete form.

[1] It was first presented at the Lenaian festival in Athens in 316 BC, where it won Menander the first prize.

[2] The story of the play concerns a rich young nobleman, Sostratos, who falls in love at first sight with a village peasant girl and decides to marry her.

At the end of the play, Knemon is dragged kicking and screaming by the other characters to join the party for his daughter's wedding.

The Dyskolos inspired Molière, who knew only the theme of the play, as it had not yet been found, in his writing of The Misanthrope (1666).

Pan says that because the girl won his favour by honouring the nymphs in his temple, he caused a certain rich city boy (Sostratos), who was hunting and spotted Knemon's daughter honouring the nymphs, to fall in love with her.

Sostratos, a young Athenian man who is hunting in the forest, enters with his poor companion Chaireas.

Suddenly Pyrrhias comes in running, shouting that he is being chased by a madman who is throwing stones at him.

He promises to come back the next day to talk to the girl's father when he has calmed down; then he departs.

Sostratos says he suspects that Pyrrhias must have done something wrong, and he sends him home, saying he is going to wait for the girl's father.

Sostratos, who is shy, decides that he must fetch his father's cunning slave Getas to deal with the matter.

She complains that the old woman has accidentally dropped the water-pot down the well, and she must get some water from the nymphs, if no one is making a sacrifice, so that her father can have a bath.

Unobserved, he sees Sostratos giving the jar to Knemon's daughter and assumes he is up to no good.

Gorgias stops Sostratos and asks if he may give him some advice: he warns him to stay away and not think he can get away with bad behaviour just because of his wealth.

Gorgias tells him that he's wasting his time, since her father is very misanthropic and won't let her marry anyone except a poor farmer like himself.

Daos advises him that if he takes off his smart cloak and works in the fields the girl's father might agree to talk to him.

From the other side of the stage, the cook, Sikon, now arrives, struggling to carry a sheep.

He is followed soon afterwards by the slave Getas, who is carrying a huge load of cushions and other things.

But just at that moment, Sostratos's mother and a party of followers (including a female piper) arrive carrying food-hampers, incense, and wine.

When Getas tells him about the sacrifice, Sostratos decides it would be a good idea to invite Gorgias and Daos to the feast, to get them on his side.

He tells Gorgias that he is adopting him as his son, and giving him the responsibility for finding a husband for his sister; she may have half his property as a dowry.

Noticing that Sostratos is sunburnt like a farmer, and reassured by Gorgias, Knemon gives his assent to their getting married.

Then Getas bangs on the door and shouts to imaginary slave boys that he wishes to borrow things.

Menander writes his slave characters as intelligent, independent individuals who act on their own wants and goals, as well as considering the fortunes of their masters.

The play as a whole demonstrates and examines the social class system of the time and provides multiple perspectives through each character.

[4] Dyskolos is the only one of Menander's texts that has survived nearly completely intact—the papyrus being written in the 3rd century AD.

[5] Other plays, such as Samia, Aspis, Heros, Epitrepontes, Perikeiromene have survived in fragments.