Menander (c. 342–291 BC)

Greek comic dramatist. Previously only known by reputation and some short fragments, Menander's comedy Bad-Tempered Man (316 BC), was discovered in 1957 on Egyptian papyrus. Substantial parts of The Samian Woman, The Arbitration, The Unkindest Cut, and The Shield are also extant. His comedies, with their wit and ingenuity of plot often concerning domestic intrigue, were adapted by the Roman comic dramatists Plautus and Terence.