Origins and Life of Euripides Ib

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M = reading of the whole MS tradition
m = reading of part of the MS tradition
P = reading on a papyrus
 

1 Εὐριπίδης Μνησαρχίδου Μνησαρχίδου Kirchoff : Μνησαρχίδης M Ἀθηναῖος. τοῦτον οἱ τῆς ἀρχαίας κωμωιδίας ποιηταὶ ὡς λαχανοπώλιδος υἱὸν κωμωιδοῦσι.

1 Euripides, the son of Mnesarchides, an Athenian. The poets of Old Comedy make fun of him for being the son of a vegetable-seller.

2 γενέσθαι δὲ κατ’ ἀρχὰς μὲν αὐτόν φασι ζωγράφον, σχολάσαντα δὲ Ἀρχελάωι τῶι φυσικῶι καὶ Ἀναξαγόραι ἐπὶ τὰς τραγωιδίας τὰς τραγωιδίας m : τραγωιδίας m : τραγωιδίαν Kirchhoff ὁρμῆσαι. ὅθεν καὶ πλέον τι φρονήσας εἰκότως περιίστατο τῶν πολλῶν, οὐδεμίαν φιλοτιμίαν περὶ τὰ θέατρα ποιούμενος. διὸ παρὰ τοσοῦτον παρὰ τοσοῦτον m : τοῦτον m αὐτὸν ἔβλαπτε τοῦτο ὅσον ὠφέλει τὸν Σοφοκλέα.

2 They say that at first he became a painter, but that after he had studied with Archelaus the natural philosopher and with Anaxagoras he embarked on writing tragedies. As a result, since he was rather high-minded, he shunned the many, showing no concern for winning the spectators’ praise in his plays. This harmed him as much as it helped Sophocles.

3 ἐπέκειντο δὲ καὶ οἱ κωμικοὶ φθόνωι αὐτὸν δὲ καὶ οἱ κωμικοὶ φθόνωι αὐτὸν Kirchhoff : δὲ οἱ κωμικοὶ καὶ φόνωι αὐτὸν M διασύροντες. ὑπεριδὼν δὲ πάντα εἰς Μακεδονίαν Μακεδονίαν Kirchoff : Μακεδόνας Nauck : μακεδόνα M ἀπῆρε πρὸς Ἀρχέλαον τὸν βασιλέα· κἀνταῦθα ὀψιαίτερον ἀναλύων ὑπὸ τῶν βασιλικῶν ἐφθάρη κυνῶν.

3 The comic poets attacked him, tearing him to pieces out of jealousy. Taking no notice of all this, he moved to Macedonia, to the court of King Archelaus. And there, returning home rather late one day, he was killed by the king’s dogs.

4 ἤρξατο δὲ διδάσκειν κατὰ τὴν πα΄ ὀλυμπιάδα ἐπὶ ἄρχοντος Καλλίου. πλάσματι δὲ μέσωι χρησάμενος περιγέγονε τῆι ἑρμηνείαι τῆι ἑρμηνείαι Meineke : τῆς ἑρμηνείας M ἄκρως εἰς ἀμφότερον χρώμενος ταῖς ἐπιχειρήσεσι. καὶ τοῖς μέλεσίν ἐστιν ἀμίμητος παραγκωνιζόμενος τοὺς μελοποιοὺς σχεδὸν πάντας, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἀμοιβαίοις περισσὸς καὶ φορτικὸς καὶ ἐν τοῖς προλόγοις δὲ ὀχληρός, ῥητορικώτατος δὲ τηῖ κατασκευῆι καὶ ποικίλος τῆι φράσει καὶ ἱκανὸς ἀνασκευάσαι τὰ εἰρημένα.

4 He began to produce plays in the 81st Olympiad, during the archonship of Callias (455 BCE). Employing the middle style, he excelled in expression and was outstanding in his use of proofs on both sides of an argument. He is also unequalled in his lyric passages, surpassing virtually all other lyric poets, but in his dialogues he is over-elaborate and wearisome and in his prologues he is burdensome, but he is highly rhetorical in his style and elaborate in his language and capable of dismantling things previously said.

5 τὰ πάντα δὲ ἦν αὐτοῦ δράματα ϙβ΄, σώιζεται δὲ αὐτοῦ δράματα ξζ΄ καὶ γ΄ πρὸς τούτοις τὰ ἀντιλεγόμενα, σατυρικὰ δὲ η΄, ἀντιλέγεται ἀντιλέγεται Kirchhoff : ἀντιλέγει M δὲ καὶ τούτων τὸ α΄. νίκας δὲ ἔσχε ε΄ ἔσχε ε΄ Kirchhoff : ἔχει ιε΄ M.

5 In total he wrote 92 plays; 67 plays survive and three in addition whose authorship is disputed, and 8 satyr plays, one of which is also disputed. He was victorious 5 times.

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