Cyclops by Euripides, c. 408 BCE

This is the only complete example of a satyr-play surviving from antiquity. The satyr-play accompanied the tragic trilogy performed at the theatrical festivals and – as far as we know – featured a well-known aspect of mythology or epic performed in bawdy style with a chorus of satyrs. Cyclops depicts the incident of Odysseus’ adventure with Polyphemus, culminating in the blinding of the unfortunate monster. Euripides exploits unusual characterization to poke fun at Odysseus’ hero-status and present the Cyclops as a cooking connoisseur.