Cratinus facts for kids

Cratinus (born around 519 BC, died around 422 BC) was an important Athenian poet who wrote funny plays called comedies. He was part of a style known as Old Comedy in Ancient Greece.

Life of Cratinus

Cratinus was a very successful playwright. He won many contests for his plays, with 27 known victories. Eight of these wins were at the big City Dionysia festival, probably starting in the mid-450s BC. He also won three times at the Lenaia festival, starting in the early 430s BC.

He was still writing and winning prizes in 423 BC. His play Pytine won first place at the City Dionysia that year. Cratinus passed away shortly after this victory, at a very old age, around 97 years old.

We don't know much about his personal life. His father's name was Callimedes. Cratinus also served as a taxiarch, which was a military leader in charge of a group of soldiers. Some old writings mention that Cratinus enjoyed wine. Other famous writers, like Aristophanes, even joked about this. Cratinus himself seemed to find it amusing and even wrote about it in his play Pytine.

It's possible he was related to another comic poet from the 4th century BC, also named Cratinus Junior, but we can't be sure.

Cratinus's Plays

Cratinus is considered one of the three greatest writers of Old Comedy in Athens. The other two were Aristophanes and Eupolis. Cratinus wrote 21 comedies in total. His plays were known for being very direct and strong, often making fun of politics and important people of his time.

Even though some described his writing as a bit rough, his plays were still read and studied for many years after he died. We still have 514 small pieces (fragments) of his comedies today, along with the names of 29 of his plays. His most famous play was Pytine.

About the Play Pytine

Pytine (which means "The Wineflask") was Cratinus's most famous play. It was written as a funny response to another playwright, Aristophanes. In 424 BC, Aristophanes had a play called The Knights. In it, he joked that Cratinus was an old man who was forgotten and thirsty.

Cratinus responded the very next year, in 423 BC, with Pytine. This play was a huge success! It won first prize at the City Dionysia, beating out plays by other famous writers, including Aristophanes's own play The Clouds.

Other Famous Plays

One interesting discovery from ancient papyrus papers is a summary of Cratinus's play Dionysalexandros. This play was a satire (a funny criticism) aimed at Pericles, a very important leader in Athens. The summary shows how clever and witty the play was.

Here are some other plays Cratinus wrote:

Cratinus's Writing Style

Cratinus's writing style has been compared to that of Aeschylus, another famous Greek playwright. Cratinus liked to use grand language and bold ideas in his plays. He was especially good at the lyrical parts, which were like songs sung by the chorus. His choruses were very popular festive songs during his time.

See also

In Spanish: Cratino para niños