Parasite's Shame

Ἀποσπάσματα

_The Parasite’s Shame_ is a lost Greek comedy attributed to the obscure poet Dromo Comicus. The work survives only in fragmentary form, as indicated by its alternative title meaning "Fragments" or "Extracts," which refers to its preservation through quotations in later ancient authors. No biographical details about Dromo Comicus are known beyond his inclusion in ancient lists of comic poets. The comedy's title suggests a thematic focus on social disgrace, likely satirizing the figure of the parasite—a flatterer dependent on a wealthy patron for meals and status. The surviving passages, of which nine are known, are preserved exclusively in later lexicographical and grammatical sources; there is no manuscript tradition for the complete play. These fragments provide valuable philological material for the study of Greek comedy, offering insights into the language, metrical practice, and thematic concerns of lesser-known comic poets from the classical period.