Epicharmus of Kos facts for kids

Epicharmus (born around 550 BC, died around 460 BC) was an ancient Greek writer and thinker. Many people believe he was one of the very first writers of comedy plays. He created a special style of comedy from Sicily, an island in Greece. He was also a philosopher, someone who thinks deeply about life and knowledge.

Who Knew About Epicharmus?

The famous Greek thinker Aristotle wrote that Epicharmus helped invent funny stories for plays. Most of what we know about Epicharmus comes from old writings by people like Athenaeus and Diogenes Laërtius.

Even the great philosopher Plato mentioned Epicharmus. In one of his writings, Plato's character Socrates called Epicharmus "the prince of Comedy." This shows how important Epicharmus was considered in his time.

The Life of Epicharmus

We don't know exactly where Epicharmus was born. Some old writers say he was from Syracuse or a city called Krastos in Sicily. Others suggest he was born in Astypalea, on the island of Kos.

One story says his father, Helothales, was a doctor. His family supposedly moved to Megara in Sicily when Epicharmus was a baby. As an adult, Epicharmus became a follower of Pythagoras, a famous mathematician and philosopher.

It is most likely that after 484 BC, Epicharmus lived in Syracuse. He worked as a poet for the rulers of Syracuse, Gelon and Hiero I. These rulers were called "tyrants," which meant they had complete power.

Epicharmus wrote about many different things. He wrote plays that made fun of old myths. He also wrote about philosophy, medicine, and natural science. He even wrote about how people should behave.

One of his important ideas was that people could become good through hard work. He believed that anyone could be a good person, no matter where they came from. Epicharmus lived a long life, dying when he was in his nineties.

A bronze statue was made in his honor in Syracuse. The poet Theocritus wrote a special poem for the statue. It said that Epicharmus was as great as the sun among stars.

What Plays Did Epicharmus Write?

Epicharmus wrote many comedies, perhaps between 35 and 52 plays. However, most of them are now lost, and we only have small parts of them.

He was known for making fun of famous heroes from myths. In his time, it was risky to make fun of rulers in plays. So, Epicharmus's comedies were careful not to upset the powerful. They were either funny versions of myths or plays about different kinds of people.

Two of his most famous works were:

• Agrōstīnos ("The Country-Dweller"): This play humorously showed life in the countryside.
• Hebes Gamos ("The Marriage of Hebe"): In this play, the hero Heracles was shown as someone who loved to eat a lot.

He also made Odysseus seem less heroic in his play Odysseùs Autómolos (Ulysses the Deserter). He changed the serious stories from Homer's poems to make them funny.

Here are some other plays he wrote:

Some old writers, like Diogenes Laërtius, even suggested that Plato might have used some of Epicharmus's ideas in his own writings.

Famous Sayings

Here are some wise words from Epicharmus:

• "A person should think thoughts that are right for a human, not thoughts meant for gods."
• "The best thing a person can have, in my opinion, is good health."
• "One hand washes the other: if you give something, you might get something back."
• "What are people really like? They are like blown-up balloons!"
• "Always remember to be a little bit doubtful; it makes your mind strong."

See also

In Spanish: Epicarmo para niños