Editing Chaeremon

{{Short description|4th century BC Greek dramatist and poet}}
{{about||the Stoic philosopher and grammarian|Chaeremon of Alexandria|the Egyptian Christian monk|Chaeremon of Nitria}}

'''Chaeremon''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|r|iː|m|ən|,_|-|m|ɒ|n}}; {{langx|grc|Χαιρήμων}}, ''gen.:'' Χαιρήμονος) was an [[Athenian]] [[dramatist]] of the first half of the fourth century BC. He was generally considered a tragic [[poet]] like [[Choerilus (tragic poet)|Choerilus]]. [[Aristotle]] said his works were intended for reading, not for representation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Aristotle|title=Rhetoric|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0060%3Abook%3D3%3Achapter%3D12%3Asection%3D2}}</ref> According to the [[Suda]], Chaeremon was also a comic poet, and the title of at least one of his plays (''Achilles Thersitoktonos'', "Achilles slayer of Thersites") seems to indicate that it was a [[satyr]]ic drama. His ''[[Centaurus (Greek mythology)|Centaurus]]'' (or Centaur) is described by Aristotle as a rhapsody in all kinds of metres.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Chaeremon (dramatist)|display=Chaeremon|volume=5|page=788}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Aristotle|title=Poetics|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0056%3Asection%3D1447b}}</ref> His other known plays are ''Alphesiboea'', ''Dionysus'', ''Io'', ''Minyae'', ''Odysseus'', ''Oeneus'', and ''Thyestes''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bartsch|first=Henricus|title=De Chaeremone Poeta Tragico|date=1843|pages=33–45|publisher=F. H. Euler|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7oxAAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA33}}</ref>

The fragments of Chaeremon are distinguished by correctness of form and facility of rhythm, but marred by a florid and affected style reminiscent of [[Agathon]]. He especially excelled in descriptions (irrelevantly introduced) dealing with such subjects as flowers and female beauty. It is not agreed whether he is the author of the three epigrams in the ''[[Greek Anthology]]'' ([[Greek Anthology|Palatine]] vii. 469, 720, 721) which bear his name.<ref name="EB1911"/> His maxim, "Luck, not wisdom, rules the affairs of men," was adopted by [[Plutarch]] as the epigraph to his essay on chance.<ref>{{cite book|author=Plutarch|title=Περὶ τύχης (On Chance)|date=c. 100|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a2008.01.0164}}</ref>

== References ==
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[[Category:4th-century BC Athenians]]
[[Category:Ancient Athenian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:4th-century BC Greek poets]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek tragic poets]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Year of death unknown]]


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