Literature of antiquity and the Middle Ages - Summary - 2019
Killjoy
Menander (324-293 BC e)
This comedy in translation has another name - "Humor of humans". Her main character, the peasant, Knemon, at the end of her life, was stunned by people and hated literally the whole world. However, he had probably been born with a prick. For his wife threw him out for a bad temper.
Knemon lives in a village in Attica, near Athens. Treats a scanty field and grows a daughter whom she loves without memory. He lives next to his stepfather Gorgias, who, despite the bad temper of his stepfather, treats him well.
Sostrat, a wealthy young man who accidentally saw the daughter of Knemon, falls in love with her and makes every possible attempt to get acquainted with a beautiful, modest girl, and at the same time - and with her inhuman father.
At the beginning of the first action, the forest god Pan (his cave-sanctuary is located immediately, near the house and the field of Knemon) informs viewers a brief background to the upcoming events. By the way, this is exactly what he did so that Sostrat fell in love with the daughter of an inhuman abdomen.
Herei, a friend and ate Sostrat, advises the lovers to act decisively. However, it turns out that Sostrat has already sent a scout to Peiria, the scribe, who, by the time of our action, is returning to panic in the estate of Knemon; Knemon driven him in the most unequivocal way, throwing the earth and stones ...
On the stage, Knemon appears, not noticing the present, and says to himself: "Well, was not it happy, and doubly, besides, / Perseus? First, having wings, / He is able to escape from everyone who treads the land. / And secondly, anyone who was in a pitcher, / I could turn into a stone. Here if I should now / The same gift! Only stone statues / Circles stood in silence, wherever you look. "
Seeing Sostrat, timidly standing nearby, the old man utters an anger-ironic tirade and goes to the house. Meanwhile, the daughter of Hemone appears on stage with a jug. Her nanny, dribbling the water, dropped the bucket in the well. And to the return of his father from the field, water should be heated.
Sostrat standing here (neither he nor dead living from happiness and excitement) offers help to the girl: he will bring water from the source! The offer is accepted. The acquaintance has taken place.
The presence of Sostrates is revealed by Dave, the servant of Gorgia. He warns the host: a certain young man who is clearly "seated" to Gogia's sister is "nearby". Are his intentions honest - Not known ...
Sostrat enters. Gorgias, not only a decent and industrious, but also a decisive young man, firstly wrongly evaluated him ("Immediately visible to his eyes - a scoundrel"), decides to still talk to a newcomer. And after a conversation, as a clever person, he understands his initial mistake. Soon both penetrate the mutual sympathy.
Gorgia honestly warns the lovers, how difficult it will be to agree with his stepfather - the father of the girl. But after thinking, he decides to help Sostrat and gives him some advice.
To begin with, to "enter the image," a rich young man devoted himself day-to-day to his field work that was unusual to him, so that the suspicious Knemon decided: Sostrat is a poor man who lives by his own work. This, both young men hope, will at least somewhat reconcile the old man with the idea of a possible marriage of his beloved daughter.
And in the sanctuary of Pan, relatives of Sostrat and he himself are preparing for solemn sacrifices. The noise of sacred preparations (near its house!) Prints Knemon out of herself. And when at first the slave Geta, and then the chef Sikon knocked at him at the door with a request to lend some of the dishes, the old man finally comes into fury.
Returning from the field, Sostrat changed the day (tanned, rolled from uncommon labor and barely moved his legs) that even the slaves would not know their master. But, as they say, there is no honey without good.
Returns from the field and Knemon. He is looking for a bucket and a hoe (and both the old maid Simiha dropped to the well). Meanwhile Sostrat and Gorgiy go to the sanctuary of Pan. They are almost friends.
Knemon himself in anger tries to go down into the well, but the rotten rope breaks out, and the evil old man falls into the water. Simi ran out of the house about this cry.
Gorgias understands: the "star hour" of Sostrat has come! With both of them, they pull Captain and scoffer Knemon out of the well.
But precisely Sostrat attributes the clever and noble Gorgias leading role in the salvation of a writhing elder. Knemon begins to soften and asks Gorgia to take care of the sister's marriage in the future.
Sostrat in return offers Gorgia a wife to her sister. At first, the honest young man tries to refuse: "Inadmissible, / I married you to your own sister, you take your wife." The affectionate young man is confused by the fact that he is poor, while the Sostrat family is rich people: "It is not good for me / strangers to feed undeserved good." / I want to live my life".
Dissatisfied at first with the prospect of a second "unequal marriage" and Kalipid - Father Sostrat. But in the end he also agrees to both weddings.
Finally, the Knemone also surrenders: the spleen even agrees that the slaves should take it to the sanctuary of Pan. The comedy ends with the words of one of the slaves facing the audience: "Be glad that the old man of the indomitable / We overcome, generously pat you, / And let Victory, virgin noble, / Friend of laughter, will always be good to us." gives the opportunity to present the following: Gabrotonon learns Pamfilu (they met on that ill-fated holiday of Tavropolia), and the offended and despised wife Harizia learns his ring and understands: the culprit of her misfortune is her own husband!
But Haris still knows only that his wife is the mother of an illegitimate child. At the same time, he realizes that he himself is far from perfect and has no right to judge Pamfil so severely. But then a good Gabbotonon appears and tells Haris all that he knows. An unpunished young man is happy: they have a son with Pamphylia!
Smithrin's discontent is replaced with joy: he became a happy grandfather of a five-month-old grandson! Everyone is happy and happy. So safely, as it should be, the comedy ends.