Alcifrone lettore della Nea: un’indagine comparativa nelle Epistolai Halieutikai

The success of Greek theatre in other literary genres, such as epistolography, has been extensively researched and debated. Consequently, it has long been recognized that the incorporation of Greek comedy in Alciphron's epistolary works, and especially the Nea, holds great significance both in terms of content and style. This investigation aims to trace potential connections between Alciphron and Greek comedies that are partially or entirely lost, by examining indirect traditions. Remarkably, Alciphron's letters sometimes exhibit precise linguistic and textual similarities with Latin comedies, thus supporting the hypothesis of a shared source. Of particular interest is letter 19 from the ἐπιστολαὶ ἁλιευτικαί, constituting the first book of Alciphron's epistolary collection. A close verbal analysis will reveal a clear parallel between the text of this letter and a passage from Plautus' Trinummus, thus suggesting the presence of a possible quotation from Philemon's Thesauros. Furthermore, this epistle will also permit a comparison with some fragments of Greek comedies, predominantly attributed to Philemon, further corroborating the aforementioned assumption. This comparative approach, encompassing Alciphron, Latin comedies, and fragments of Greek comedies, will deepen our understanding of the interactions among these texts, thus shedding new light on the reception of Greek Theatre.