EPICHARMUS

Philosopher and comedy poet. He was born in Kos. As a young man he moved to Megara in Sicily and then to Syracuse, where philosophic and educated tyrants, Gelon and Hieron, hosted dramatic and musical competitions in the magnificent theater they had built. This contributed to the excellence of the poetic genius of Epicharmus. The Syracusans loved him and honored him with a statue. Because of the regime that, moreover, had protected him, Epicharmus did not get involved in politics, nor did he satirize political situations, like Aristophanes.

He was simply making fun of human flaws and especially stupidity, the blunders, which occur in all social classes. Epicharmus was the first to ridicule the drunkard from the stage. In addition to his theatrical skills, the poet also showed philosophical tendencies, he was highly educated and influenced by Pythagorean philosophy. That is why his comedies are full of philosophical ideas and quotes, which were not only focused on moral issues, but also on metaphysical problems, such as theogony, the creation of the world, about the soul, etc. 36 to 52 comedies are attributed to Epicharmus, its content, as it is said, can only be compared with the content of Euripides' tragedies.

Euripides greatly benefited from Epicharmus, and Plato considers Epicharmus the greatest of comedians for the philosophical opinions with which he imbued all his works, of which, unfortunately, only fragments have survived.