Dyscolus

work by Menander

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June 25, 2026

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Dyscolus is a play by the Athenian dramatist Menander, written around 316 BCE. It is the only complete play by Menander that survives, offering a valuable example of New Comedy. The play is known for its characterization, particularly the gruff misanthrope Knemon. New Comedy, which Menander mastered, focused on fictional characters from ordinary life and often featured stock characters like stern fathers and young lovers, moving away from the political satire of Old Comedy. Menander's works, including Dyscolus, were influential, with many plays adapted by Roman writers like Plautus and Terence, and subsequently impacting European comedy for centuries.

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Menander
…is clearly evident in the Dyscolus in the character of the gruff misanthrope Knemon, while the subtle clash and contrast of character and ethical principle in such plays as Perikeiromenē (interesting for its sympathetic treatment of the conventionally boastful soldier) and Second Adelphoe constitute perhaps his greatest achievement.
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…is clearly evident in the Dyscolus in the character of the gruff misanthrope Knemon, while the subtle clash and contrast of character and ethical principle in such plays as Perikeiromenē (interesting for its sympathetic treatment of the conventionally boastful soldier) and Second Adelphoe constitute perhaps his greatest achievement.
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textual criticism
Books transmitted in manuscript
, Menander, Dyscolus) or a copy that can be shown to be the source of all other copies (e.g., Varro, De Lingua Latina) or an edition printed directly from a copy now lost (e.g., the work of the Roman historian Velleius Paterculus); or a text may be…
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, Menander, Dyscolus) or a copy that can be shown to be the source of all other copies (e.g., Varro, De Lingua Latina) or an edition printed directly from a copy now lost (e.g., the work of the Roman historian Velleius Paterculus); or a text may be…
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