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The Poetics of the Kōmos -Chorus in Menander's Comedy
- American Journal of Philology
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 127, Number 1 (Whole Number 505), Spring 2006
- pp. 89-109
- 10.1353/ajp.2006.0016
- Article
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This article investigates the functions of the kōmos-chorus in Menander"s comedies. It first reviews the evidence for the diminished role of the comic chorus in the fourth century and then considers Menander"s practice of deploying a kōmos instead of a chorus. It argues that the performance contexts of the kōmos allowed it to serve multiple functions. The association of the kōmos with symposia and aristocratic violence rendered it a realistic device for clearing the stage after the first act. In addition, the conclusion of the romantic plot with a wedding or pre-wedding celebration created the occasion for receiving a wedding kōmos, suggesting that the kōmos may have finally been greeted or received at the end of the fifth act.