MENANDER'S THAIS AND CATULLUS' LESBIA. (December 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Harrison, S.J.
• Is Part Of: Classical quarterly. Volume 65:Number 2(2015:Nov.)
• Page Start: 887
• Page End: 888
• Publication Date: 2015-12
• Subjects: Classical philology -- Periodicals; Classical literature -- Periodicals; 880
• DOI: 10.1017/S0009838815000026
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0009-8388

Abstract

Abstract : Menander's lost comedy Thais with its famous protagonist, the hetaira lover of Ptolemy I Soter and perhaps Alexander himself, was plainly well known at Rome, and is alluded to several times in Latin poetry of the Augustan and later periods, as Ariana Traill has shown. My purpose here is to argue that the literary characterisation of Thais in Menander's play underlies certain aspects of Lesbia as presented in the poetry of Catullus; that Catullus' poetry uses the plays of Menander has been demonstrated by Richard Thomas, arguing that Catullus 8 shows clear traces of Demea's monologue in the Samia (325–56).