341:"may be the most illegible piece of classical literature, one which nobody can read without a proper commentary and which even then makes very difficult reading." The poem is evidently intended to display the writer's knowledge of obscure names and uncommon myths; it is full of unusual words of doubtful meaning gathered from the older poets, and long-winded compounds coined by the author. It was probably written as a show-piece for the Alexandrian school, rather than as straight poetry. It was very popular in the
697:
393:
takes place in
Hellenistic period, and says that Rome was on the rise to be a great world power. An example is in verses 1444-1450; in which the poet describes the Roman's successes against the Macedonians. Many historians believe that for somebody living in the second century B.C., describing the
422:
in 197/6 BC. The author, whose true name and place of origin are probably concealed beneath the impenetrably enigmatic biographical tradition concerning "Lycophron," probably used the name, and some of the literary substance, of
Lycophron, not in emulation, but as an
451:
Many scholars are certain that the
Ptolemaic court would not have commissioned a piece to praise the Romans. Although the Egyptians and Romans had established a political relationship in 273 B.C., the two powers did not do much diplomacy together during the rule of
439:"shall with their spears win the foremost crown of glory, obtaining the sceptre and monarchy of earth and sea" and elaborates with allusions to the course of historical events. Some scholars, such as Stephanie West, regard these passages as
163:. Like most of his life, the end of Lycophron's life is lost to time as of now, but there is some evidence of his death. Although it is not known if he stayed in Alexandria for the rest of his life, what may be his end is told in Ovid's
443:
and defend the attribution of the bulk of the poem to
Lycophron the tragic poet. Thomas Nelson and Katherine Molesworth have argued that 'Lycophron' is a pen name to signpost the poem's style, aligning it with the 'frigidity' of
143:, the massive tenth century Byzantine Greek historical encyclopaedia, he was the son of Socles, but was adopted by Lycus of Rhegium. It is believed that Lycophron was acquaintances with Greek philosopher
151:
about the man. At an unknown date
Lycophron was intrigued by the literary movement in Alexandria and settled there. He was entrusted by Ptolemy with the task of arranging the comedies in the
456:. Egypt became more dependent on Rome after the second century B.C. when the nation was a shell of its former self due to a series of weak pharaohs. This is why many historians believe that
167:, "Tuque cothurnatus cecidesse Lycophrona narrant, Haereat in fibris fixa sagitta tuis" (And they say that Lycophron fell in his boots, and let his arrow stick in his bones.)
378:
Through most of antiquity there seems to be a mostly universal opinion that the tragedy was written by
Lycophron. The only real skeptics from antiquity instead believe that
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717:
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reminiscence of the earlier writer, who had combined the practice of tragedy and the elucidation of comedy. Only on this assumption of a deliberate
382:
was rather written by a homonymous poet who probably was a grandson of
Lycophron and lived during the first half of the second century B.C.
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and of the Greek and Trojan heroes. References to events of mythical and later times are introduced, and the poem ends with a reference to
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Many of the key elements of the poem do not line up with the third century B.C. Most of this has to do with the poem bringing up Rome.
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Many support that it was written be a revisionist. The reasoning behind this is that there are many historical inconsistencies within
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The style obtained for the poem's author, even among the ancients, the title of "obscure"; one modern scholar says the
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Callimachus; Lycophron; Aratus, Solensis; Mair, G. R. (Gilbert
Robinson); Mair, A. W. (Alexander William) (1921).
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as a victory for Rome is unfitting, the details and predictions for the Roman's triumph fit better with the
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cannot be the work of the third-century BC author; in one scholar's summary of this view, the poem was:
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559:(1921), edition with facing English translation and explanatory notes. {reprinted Arno Press, 1979]
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677:. Kelly - University of Toronto. London : W. Heinemann ; New York : G. P. Putnam.
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
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The negative presentation of the Greeks in
Lycophron’s Alexandra and the dating of the poem
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gives the titles of twenty tragedies, of which a very few fragments have been preserved:
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is from the first century A.D. by The ancient scholiast, whose report is traced back to
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are numerous. Two explanatory paraphrases of the poem survive, and the collection of
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period, and was read and commented on very frequently; the manuscripts of the
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283:). Among these, a few well-turned lines show a much better style than the
813:, ed. Simon Hornblower and Tony Spawforth, Oxford University Press, 2000.
147:, who may have influenced some of Lycophron's tragedies and even wrote a
721:. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 153.
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tragic poet, grammarian, and commentator on comedy, to whom the poem
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Online text: Lycophron's
Alexandra translated by A. W. Mair, 1921
846:"Tragic Noise and Rhetorical Frigidity in Lycophron's Alexandra"
327:
306:, has been preserved in its complete form. The first mention of
139:
750:"Lycophron's 'Alexandra' Reconsidered: The Attalid Connection"
582:
Simon Hornblower (repr. 2017), with translation and commentary
516:(1853), with French translation, Latin paraphrase, and notes
334:, who was to unite Asia and Europe in his world-wide empire.
80:
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was written after the military success of the Roman general
531:(1881–1908), including the paraphrases and Tzetzian scholia
159:. Lycophron is also said to have been a skillful writer of
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41:
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The poetic compositions of Lycophron chiefly consisted of
56:
929:‘Tragic Noise and Aristotelian Frigidity in Lycophron’s
638:. Great Britain: Harvard University Press. p. 303.
550:(1901), edition with Italian translation and commentary
572:, Lycophron. Alexandra, Paris, Mercure de France (1971)
915:
Lykophron's Alexandra, Rome, and the Hellenistic World
830:, 33 (1983), pp. 114-135, and "Lycophron Italicised,"
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Alexandra is merely an alternative name for Cassandra.
155:; as the result of his labours he composed a treatise
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written in the immediate aftermath of the victory of
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927:Nelson, Thomas J. and Molesworth, Katherine (2021)
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636:Callimachus, Hymns and Epigrams; Lycophron; Aratus
314:, an Alexandrian Grammarian (first century A.D.).
958:An ancient Life of Lycophron, compiled by Tzetzes
844:Nelson, Thomas J.; Molesworth, Katherine (2021).
541:edition with German translation and commentary
431:can the full irony of his work be appreciated.
402:. Some modern studies have concluded that the
357:is very valuable (much used by, among others,
8:
922:The Alexandra of Lycophron: A Literary Study
595:(1784 - 1808, posthumously published 1832)
298:One poem traditionally attributed to him,
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978:Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights
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920:McNelis, Charles and Sens, Alex (2016)
809:Peter Marshall Fraser, "Lycophron," in
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322:. It consists of a prophecy uttered by
19:For other people named Lycophron, see
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575:André Hurst and Antje Kolde (2008),
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326:and relates the later fortunes of
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935:, Classical Quarterly 71, 200–215
634:Mair, A. W.; Mair, G. R. (1955).
113:is attributed (perhaps falsely).
822:Stephanie West, "Lycophron," in
811:Who's Who in the Classical World
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181:Pleiad of Alexandrian tragedians
31:
137:(285–247 BC). According to the
102:; born about 330–325 BC) was a
824:Encyclopedia of ancient Greece
748:Kosmetatou, Elisabeth (2000).
607:online at the Internet Archive
593:Philip Yorke, Viscount Royston
435:Cassandra prophesies that her
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786:Gauthier Liberman, review of
437:Trojan ancestors' descendants
117:Life and miscellaneous works
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993:3rd-century BC Greek people
938:Rozokoki, Alexandra (2019)
832:Journal of Hellenic Studies
562:Lorenzo Mascialino (1964),
507:'s Latin verse translation
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796:Bryn Mawr Classical Review
371:Debate over the author of
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21:Lycophron (disambiguation)
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988:Ancient Greek grammarians
913:Hornblower, Simon (2018)
863:10.1017/S0009838821000409
834:104 (1984), pp. 127-151).
674:Callimachus and Lycophron
462:Titus Quinctus Flamininus
16:4th-century BC Greek poet
905:De Lycophronis Alexandra
895:De Dictione Lycophronis
850:The Classical Quarterly
718:Encyclopædia Britannica
616:George W. Mooney (1921)
503:(1830), with notes and
416:Battle of Cynoscephalae
98:Lukóphrōn ho Chalkidéus
611:online on Google Books
603:Loeb Classical Library
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466:Philip V of Macedonia
446:Lycophron the sophist
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400:second Macedonian War
153:Library of Alexandria
998:3rd-century BC poets
792:Lycophron, Alexandra
514:Félix Désiré Dehèque
396:first Macedonian War
135:Ptolemy Philadelphus
129:, and flourished at
983:Ancient Greek poets
828:Classical Quarterly
601:A. W. Mair (1921),
420:Philip V of Macedon
332:Alexander the Great
213:Daughters of Pelops
209:Daughters of Aeolus
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149:satyr drama
104:Hellenistic
85:ὁ Χαλκιδεύς
967:Categories
893:Konze, J.
799:2009.03.38
658:Suda λ 827
621:References
454:Ptolemy II
412:Flamininus
387:Alexandra.
275:, and the
265:Suppliants
225:Hippolytus
205:Chrysippus
131:Alexandria
931:Alexandra
872:0009-8388
766:0018-0777
713:Lycophron
458:Alexandra
404:Alexandra
391:Alexandra
380:Alexandra
373:Alexandra
347:Alexandra
343:Byzantine
339:Alexandra
324:Cassandra
316:Alexandra
308:Alexandra
304:Cassandra
300:Alexandra
293:Alexandra
285:Alexandra
273:Telegonus
241:Menedemus
217:Elephenor
201:Andromeda
197:Symmakhoi
177:tragedies
171:Tragedies
157:On Comedy
145:Menedemus
111:Alexandra
91:translit.
27:Lycophron
924:(Oxford)
917:(Oxford)
537:(1895),
505:Scaliger
484:(1513),
476:Editions
277:Wanderer
261:Pentheus
257:Orphanos
245:Nauplius
221:Herakles
161:anagrams
83:Λυκόφρων
72:-kə-fron
907:(1884)
888:Studies
790:(ed.),
774:4477344
706::
579:edition
566:edition
564:Teubner
539:Teubner
361:in his
351:scholia
269:Hiketai
249:Oedipus
183:. The
123:Chalcis
909:online
897:(1870)
870:
772:
764:
754:Hermes
700:
642:
597:online
552:online
543:online
525:(1880)
518:online
509:online
425:ironic
281:Aletes
253:Orphan
193:Allies
189:Aeolus
127:Euboea
94:
770:JSTOR
464:over
418:over
312:Theon
233:Laius
107:Greek
77:Greek
868:ISSN
762:ISSN
640:ISBN
577:Budé
328:Troy
291:The
185:Suda
165:Ibis
140:Suda
858:doi
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