Plato in Italy

XXX.

Alexis. Italian Comedy; a discourse by

Plato on poetry.

Anyone who comes to Thurii and leaves without having known Alexis is mistaken. Alexis is the honor of Italian comedy: he possesses in his wit all the salt of Aristophanes, but he lacks the malice in his heart. I speak to you of Aristophanes to give you a subject of comparison, which we are accustomed to drawing from objects best known to us, but which often bears very little resemblance to that which we compare it to. Aristophanes is the foremost among our comedians: Alexis is the foremost among the Italian comedians, but Alexis has nothing in common with Aristophanes; nor does Italian comedy have anything in common with Greek comedy.

Eupolis, Cratinus, Aristophanes, these are all our comedians; if any citizen deserves to be noted because he is a thief, an adulterer, or a murderer, they name him bluntly, and you might say they persecute the man more than the vice. This, which we call liberty, and is actually license, has been restrained in Italy by public order.