Phormis (Ancient Greek: Φόρμις; fl. c. 478 BC) is one of the originators of Greek comedy, or of a particular form of it. Aristotle identified him as one of the originators of comedy, along with Epicharmus of Kos. He was said to be the first to introduce actors with robes reaching to the ankles, and to ornament the stage with skins dyed purple—as drapery it may be presumed.
Surviving Titles and Fragments
The Suda gave a list of his comedies:
- Admetus
- Alcinous
- Alcyone
- Atalante
- Cepheus (or Kephalaia)
- Hippos ("The Horse")
- Iliou Porthesis ("The Sacking of Troy")
- Perseus
References
- Aristotle, Poetics, c. 5
- Pausanias, Description of Greece
- The Suda Lexicon, ll. cc
- Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae, xiv. p. 652, a
- Fabricius, Johann Albert Bibl. Graec. vol. ii. p. 315
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)