Agathon of Athens (Ἀγάθων Ἀθηναῖος)

Life Agathon was an Athenian tragic poet of the late 5th century BCE. He is a well-attested historical figure, celebrated for his first victory at the Lenaea festival in 416 BCE, an event dramatized in Plato's Symposium where he appears as a character [1]. Aristophanes parodied his ornate style and luxurious lifestyle in comedies like Thesmophoriazusae and Frogs [2][3]. According to Aristotle, Agathon was innovative, being the first to compose choral odes detachable from the plot (embolima) and to write a tragedy with entirely fictional characters (Antheus) [4]. He later left Athens for the court of King Archelaus of Macedon, where he died [1][2].

Works His works are almost entirely lost, surviving only in fragments and titles. Ancient sources attribute several plays to him, including Thyestes, Aerope, Telephus, Antheus (or Anthos), Alcmaeon, and Mysians [1][2][4]. A single fragment of seven lines, possibly from Thyestes, is preserved by Aristotle [1][4].

Significance Agathon was a significant innovator in later Greek tragedy. His move toward invented plots and detachable choral songs marked a shift from traditional mythic cycles [4]. His celebrity in Athenian intellectual circles and his distinctive, florid literary style, which influenced later rhetoric, made him a symbol of the sophisticated "modern" artist [1][2][3].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Plato): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-symposium/#Agat 2. Perseus Digital Library (Tufts University): https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aentry%3Dagathon-bio-1 3. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Agathon-Greek-dramatist 4. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-179