Miles Gloriosus

The Miles Gloriosus ( lat. ), In German the boastful, boastful soldier , is a type of world literature , which mainly in comedies occurs. Already in antiquity he appeared in a comedy of the same name with Plautus , who in turn adopted this type from the Greek Comedy . The Greek original is called Ἀλαζών Alazṓn (German "Angeber", "Loudmouth"), its poet is not known.

properties

The glorious soldier is a vain braggart, a bramarbas , a braggart and coward who hardly speaks of anything other than his alleged heroic deeds, which he claims to have experienced especially during the war. Usually he still has a page , a flattering parasite, who maintains his boastful master in his self-confidence by confirming and praising the supposed heroic deeds in front of others.

The Miles Gloriosus in Literature

• The Acharnians ( Aristophanes , first performed 425 BC, in the person of General Lamachos )
• Miles Gloriosus ( Plautus , approx. 206 BC, in the person of Pyrgopolynices )
• The eunuch ( Terence , in the person of Captain Thraso with his parasite Gnatho , also with Menander )
• In his character descriptions, Theophrastus collects several exemplary traits of a show-off under No. 23, including the soldier who boasts of his campaign with Alexander, his acquaintance with him and the rich booty.
• Il Capitano ( Lodovico Dolce , 1545), very often in the Commedia dell'arte
• Ralph Roister Doister ( Nicholas Udall , around 1552)
• Le Brave ( Jean-Antoine de Baïf , 1567)
• Henry IV ( Shakespeare , 1597, in the person of Falstaff )
• L'Illusion comique ( Pierre Corneille , 1636)
• Horribilicribrifax Teutsch ( Andreas Gryphius , 1663, in the persons Cpt. Horribilicribrifax and Capitain Daradiridatumtarides )
• The head of office of Wehrhahn in Gerhart Hauptmann's thief comedy Der Biberpelz (1893) embodies the figure of the "civil miles gloriosus".

Secondary literature

• The "Capitano" of the Commedia dell'arte and his reception and development in the German-speaking theater

Individual evidence

1. ^ Plautus, Miles Gloriosus , II, 1 v. 86
2. ^ Fritz Martini : Gerhart Hauptmanns "The Beaver Fur". Thoughts on the building type of a naturalistic comedy. In: Fritz Martini: Comedy - and the comedy . Klett, Stuttgart 1974, ISBN 3-12-905640-8 , pp. 213-235. (Here: p. 229.)