References
The Context of Ancient Drama: Eric Csapo and William Slater - Internet Archive
Chapter IAii Legacy of Ancient Scholarship pp. 18-22 Sources (22-99) pp. 22-38.
Simon Hornblower; Antony Spawforth; Esther Eidinow (29 March 2012). The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Hypothesis, Literary: OUP Oxford. pp. 717–. ISBN 978-0-19-954556-8.
hypotheseis - - Major Reference Works - Wiley Online Library
Monique Van Rossum-Steenbeek (1998). Greek Readers' Digests?: Studies on a Selection of Subliterary Papyri. Chapter One: Hypotheses to Tragedies and Comedies: BRILL. ISBN 90-04-10953-6.
Moore, Clifford Herschel. “Notes on the Tragic Hypotheses.” Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. 12, 1901, pp. 287–298. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/310438.
Notes on the Tragic Hypotheses : Moore, Clifford Herschel - Internet Archive
Günther Zuntz (1955). The Political Plays of Euripides. Chapter 6: On the Tragic Hypotheses: Manchester University Press. pp. 129–.
Huys, Marc. “EURIPIDES AND THE 'TALES FROM EURIPIDES': SOURCES OF APOLLODOROS' 'BIBLIOTHECA'?” Rheinisches Museum Für Philologie, vol. 140, no. 3/4, 1997, pp. 308–327. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41234289.
F.G. Schneidewini De hypothesibus tragoediarum Graecarum Aristophani Byzantio vindicandis commentatio [microform] .. : Schneidewin, Friedrich Wilhelm, 1810-1856 - Internet Archive
The Hypotheses of Euripides and Sophocles by ‘Dicaearchus’Gertjan Verhasselt
EURIPIDES AND THE 'TALES FROM EURIPIDES': SOURCES OF APOLLODOROS' 'BIBLIOTHECA'? -Huys.pdf
Brown, A. L. “The Dramatic Synopses Attributed to Aristophanes of Byzantium.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 2, 1987, pp. 427–431. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/638840.
Jason König; Greg Woolf (17 October 2013). Encyclopaedism from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Cambridge University Press. pp. 69–. ISBN 978-1-107-03823-3.
Moore, Clifford Herschel. “Notes on the Tragic Hypotheses.” Harvard Studies in Classical Philology, vol. 12, 1901, pp. 287–298. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/310438.
Hypothesis, literary, Greek | Oxford Classical Dictionary
English Translations of Ancient Greek Tragedy Hypotheses
Aeschylus
Persians
The surviving hypothesis (medieval scholia) notes the setting by Darius’s tomb. In fact, one late commentator writes that the play “takes place near the tomb of Darius”. No complete English translation of the Persians’ hypothesis is readily available; scholars cite it in editions (e.g. Fraenkel 1967) from the Greek.
Source: Survives in Byzantine scholia on Persae (e.g. MS Par. 2712, as noted by Anderson).
Translator: (none known – text usually given in Greek).
Edition: Printed in Fraenkel’s Aeschyli Tragoediae (1972, vol. 4) and cited by Page (1938).
Authorship: Uncertain; likely an Alexandrian scholar (traditionally Aristophanes of Byzantium’s school), though the exact author is unknown.
https://diotima-doctafemina.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/PersiansIntroduction.pdf#:~:text=Hypothesis%20,Clearly
Seven Against Thebes
The Loeb “Argument” summary (Smyth 1926) conveys the hypothesis. For example: “At this point the action of the play begins. Warned by the seer Teiresias that the Argives are bent on a supreme assault, Eteocles heartens the burghers… and receives the tidings… that the enemy is advancing against the seven gates”. This English is Herbert Smyth’s translation (Loeb Classical Library 1926).
Source: Greek hypothesis in scholia (manuscript tradition).
Translator: Herbert Weir Smyth (Loeb, 1926) – see Seven Against Thebes, Loeb 145–146.
Edition: Included in Smyth’s Loeb with the play’s introduction. Also printed (Greek only) in Fraenkel 1972.
Authorship: Anonymous; part of the Hellenistic commentary tradition.
https://www.theoi.com/Text/AeschylusSeven.html#:~:text=At%20this%20point%20the%20action,that%20the%20enemy%20is%20advancing
Suppliant Women (Suppliants)
Smyth’s Loeb “Argument” again provides an English summary. For instance, he writes: “Danaüs… fled with all his fifty daughters… to Argos, the home of their primal mother, and besought sanctuary from the king… The hesitation of the king to vindicate the suppliants’ right of asylum, the triumph of that right by vote… the arrival of the suitors in pursuit, preceded by their herald demanding the surrender of the maidens, and his repulse through threatening war, constitute the action of the play.”.
Source: Medieval scholia (e.g. Suda and scholia Mκ on Danaides).
Translator: Herbert Smyth (Loeb Classical Library 1926) in the play’s introduction.
Edition: Smyth’s Suppliant Women (Loeb 145–146); Greek text in Fraenkel 1972.
Authorship: Likely an Alexandrian grammarian (no certain author).
https://www.theoi.com/Text/AeschylusSuppliants.html#:~:text=Belus%E2%80%99s%20two%20sons%2C%20Aegyptus%20and,constitute%20the%20action%20of%20the
Agamemnon
Again using Smyth’s “Argument”: “When Helen had fled with Paris… Menelaus and Agamemnon… sought vengeance”, and later “the Queen has altar-fires kindled… Cassandra seeks in vain to convince the Elders… Cassandra enters; Agamemnon’s death-shriek is heard; the two corpses are displayed…”. These passages summarize the hypothesis/plot.
Source: Hypothesis found in scholia on Agamemnon (printed by Fraenkel 1972).
Translator: Herbert Smyth (Loeb Classical Library 1926).
Edition: Smyth’s Agamemnon, Loeb 145; Greek hypothesis in Fraenkel (1972).
Authorship: Anonymous (ancient introduction).
https://www.theoi.com/Text/AeschylusAgamemnon.html#:~:text=ARGUMENT
Libation Bearers (Choephori)
The traditional hypothesis (in scholia) would summarize Orestes’ return and matricide, but no standard English translation is readily cited. (Fraenkel 1972 prints the Greek hypothesis.)
Source: Byzantine scholia.
Translator: – (not found in major editions).
Edition: Greek text in Fraenkel’s Aeschylus IV (1972).
Authorship: Uncertain (Aristophanic tradition).
Eumenides
Similarly, the hypothesis to the Eumenides (Orestes’ trial by Athena) survives in scholia; no modern English version is routinely published.
Source: Scholia on Eumenides.
Translator: –
Edition: Greek in Fraenkel 1972.
Authorship: Uncertain.
Prometheus Bound (attrib.)
Smyth’s Introduction gives the mythological backstory: “When Cronus… was king in heaven, revolt against his rule arose… Prometheus… forewarned by his mother Earth… that victory should be won by craft… rallied with Zeus… Zeus gave to mankind fire… For this rebellion… Prometheus is doomed to suffer chastisement—he must pass countless ages riveted to a crag in Scythia”.
Source: Hypothesis in scholia (as noted by Fraenkel and others).
Translator: Herbert Smyth (Loeb 146, 1926).
Edition: Loeb vol. 146; Greek text in Fraenkel (1972, p. 25–26).
Authorship: Likely not Aeschylus himself; traditionally ascribed to “Aeschylus” in manuscript but actual author unknown.
https://www.theoi.com/Text/AeschylusPrometheus.html#:~:text=When%20Cronus%2C%20the%20son%20of,various%20functions%20and%20prerogatives%3B%20but
Sophocles
(Most Sophoclean hypotheses survive only in scholiastic tradition and have rarely been translated in print. The following are examples.)
Ajax
The ancient hypothesis states, “τὸ δρᾶμα τῆς Τρωϊκῆς ἐστι πραγματείας…” – i.e. “The drama belongs to the Trojan saga,” and it lists other Trojan-themed plays. In English: “the Ajax hypothesis begins by stating that this play ‘belongs to the business of Troy’, and then compares it to other Sophoclean plays (Antenoridai, etc.).”
Source: Scholia (Codex Par. 2712; MSS at least A and others).
Translator: English here from Johnston (Jubilee volume, 2007) citing Jebb.
Edition: Greek in Jebb’s Ajax (1893) and Fraenkel 1971.
Authorship: Anonymous (likely Aristophanes of Byzantium or one of his school).
https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/bc073c2e-54d8-41b9-8df1-ece0deb82aa7/content#:~:text=The%20ancient%20Hypothesis%20to%20Sophocles%E2%80%99,The
Antigone
A scholium on Antigone reports that “Sophocles was judged worthy of the generalship in Samos because of the renown he achieved when he produced the Antigone”. In context: “They say that Sophocles was granted the command in Samos thanks to the success of his Antigone.”
Source: Byzantine scholia (see Dindorf’s Scholia Sophoclea).
Translator: (Online “Living Poets” translation by Spitzer).
Edition: No major published translation; referenced in Fraenkel 1971.
Authorship: Attributed simply to the scholastic tradition.
https://livingpoets.dur.ac.uk/w/index.php/Hypothesis_%281%29_to_Sophocles_Antigone_%281.69.17_Dain%29#:~:text=URL%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Flivingpoets,content%20%2C%20%201
Electra
The hypothesis for Electra (Schol. T) recounts Orestes’ return and matricide. No standard English edition translates it.
Source: Scholia on Electra (e.g. manuscript M).
Translator: –
Edition: Greek in Fraenkel 1971.
Oedipus Rex (Oedipus Tyrannus)
The Oedipus hypothesis (found in MSS) summarizes the Oedipus myth. There is no widely-published English translation of it. (Somerset Vaughn’s introduction to Oedipus Rex cites the substance, but not a formal translation.)
Source: Scholia (Laurentian codex, others).
Translator: –
Edition: Fraenkel 1967 (Dindorf) prints it.
Oedipus at Colonus
The hypothesis to Colonus (scholia) outlines the end of Oedipus. No standard English version exists.
Source: Scholia (Laurentian MS).
Translator: –
Edition: Fraenkel 1967, or Nauck (1885).
Women of Trachis
The Trachiniae hypothesis (scholia) sketches Heracles’ death. No mainstream English translation.
Source: Byzantine scholia.
Translator: –
Edition: Greek in Fraenkel 1971.
Philoctetes
The hypothesis to Philoctetes (scholia, possibly from the “didaskaliai”) summarizes how Philoctetes is stranded and recovered. An English translation is not readily available.
Source: Scholia (didaskalical record, etc.).
Translator: –
Edition: Fraenkel 1971 (prints the Greek).
Note: Many Sophocles hypotheses are attributed to Alexandrian scholars (e.g. Aristophanes of Byzantium, 3rd c. BCE) who wrote prose summaries, but attribution is uncertain for individual plays.
Euripides
(The anonymous “Hypotheses” to most Euripidean plays survive in scholia or papyri; English versions appear only in select cases below.)
Medea
Two summaries survive. The Anonymous Hypothesis (in MSS) relates Jason’s betrayal and Medea’s revenge. Luschnig’s translation renders: “Medea… killed [Glauke] and Creon and her own sons, and then she was divorced to live with Aigeus”. (Luschnig 1999: Diotíma.) The Aristophanes-of-Byzantium Hypothesis adds that the chorus is Corinthian women and gives the date 431 BC, noting Euripides took third prize.
Source: Ancient scholia (see Denys Page, Euripides: Medea).
Translator: Celia Luschnig (1999), cited in the Diotíma translation project.
Edition: Greek in Page (1938) and Schwartz (1891); Luschnig’s English appears online.
Authorship: Anonymous (traditional scholia).
https://diotima-doctafemina.org/translations/greek/hypotheses-and-selected-scholia-to-euripides-medea/#:~:text=,by%20either%20of%20the%20others
https://diotima-doctafemina.org/translations/greek/hypotheses-and-selected-scholia-to-euripides-medea/#:~:text=,by%20either%20of%20the%20others
Phoenician Women (Phoenissae)
The hypothesis outlines the Oedipus myth and the war of the brothers. An English summary (from an online ancient-theatre source) reads: “When Oedipus… had slain his father and wedded his mother… he cursed his sons that they should divide their inheritance by the sword… They agreed to rule alternately, but when Polyneices returned, Eteocles would not yield him the throne. Polyneices then married Adrastus’s daughter and led a host against Thebes under seven chiefs”. The summary concludes that “the brothers met in parley… and in the end slew each other in single combat”.
Source: Hypothesis in scholiastic tradition (see C.D. Taplin, Literary commentators).
Translator: John Bagg (2021) – English text from Theatre of Ancient Greece blog.
Edition: Greek text in TrGF (Kannicht/Radt) and Nauck (1889).
Authorship: Anonymous (attributed to Alexandrian tradition).
Other Euripides
Extant plays like Alcestis, Hippolytus, Hecuba, Bacchae, Helen, Suppliants, etc., all had hypotheses in the ancient manuscript tradition. For example, the (Aristophanes) hypothesis to Bacchae notes it draws on Aeschylus’ Pentheus. However, English translations of those hypotheses are generally not published, beyond scattered comments in modern commentaries.
Source: Byzantine scholia and papyri (see Page, Euripides editions).
Translator: –
Edition: Greek hypotheses in standard texts (TrGF, Nauck, etc.).
Authorship: Attributed to Aristophanes of Byzantium or other Alexandrian scholars, but specific authors usually unknown.
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110764413-001/pdf?licenseType=restricted&srsltid=AfmBOopJ_Ij8-lk_TjvPI2PXpD_OjJ7MOKW069Acpo6o8aCidnhndi_q#:~:text=play%20of%20Euripides%20draws%20from,%CE%BC%CF%85%CE%B8%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%B9%CE%AF%CE%B1%20%CE%BA%CE%B5%E1%BF%96%CF%84%CE%B1%CE%B9%20%CF%80%CE%B1%CF%81%27%20%CE%91%E1%BC%B0%CF%83%CF%87%CF%8D%CE%BB%E1%BF%B3%20%E1%BC%90%CE%BD
References (selected): Standard critical editions (Nauck 1889; Fraenkel 1967/72) print the Greek hypotheses. Major commentaries (Jebb 1890s on Sophocles; Denniston & Page on Euripides) discuss them. Luschnig’s English translation of the Medea hypotheses is at Diotíma. Smyth’s Loeb volumes give “Arguments” that often echo the hypotheses (cited above). The Oxford Scholarly Editions (D. Page on Aeschylus, 1972+) also list the hypotheses (Fraenkel’s Greek with commentary). Aristophanes of Byzantium’s role is noted by Page.
https://diotima-doctafemina.org/translations/greek/hypotheses-and-selected-scholia-to-euripides-medea/#:~:text=,satyr%20play%C2%A0Harvesters%C2%A0which%20is%20not%20extant
https://www.theoi.com/Text/AeschylusAgamemnon.html#:~:text=ARGUMENT
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