Abstract
Abstract
Menander, a prolific and esteemed playwright of Greek New Comedy, wrote over one‐hundred comedies in a career spanning thirty years, winning eight victories at Athenian dramatic festivals during his lifetime. He concentrated on domestic comedy featuring romantic plots that unfold in accordance with the norms of Athenian marriage and democratic citizenship. His plays include stock characters and rely heavily on cases of mistaken identity and role‐playing that produce various levels of incongruity humor. The comedies provide evidence for Athenian sociocultural history as well as for some of the changes taking place in the Hellenistic world.