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Alazṓn (Ancient Greek:ἀλαζών) is one of threestock characters incomedy of thetheatre of ancient Greece.[1] He is the opponent of theeirôn. Thealazṓn is animpostor that sees himself as greater than he actually is. Thesenex iratus (the angry father) and themiles gloriosus (the braggart soldier) are two types ofalazṓn.[2]
Miles Gloriosus (literally, "braggart-soldier", inLatin) is astock character of a boastful soldier from thecomictheatre of ancient Rome, and variations on this character have appeared indrama andfiction ever since.[3] The character derives from thealazṓn or "braggart" of theGreek Old Comedy (e.g.Aristophanes). The term "Miles Gloriosus" is occasionally applied in a contemporary context to refer to a posturing and self-deceiving boaster or bully.
In the playMiles Gloriosus ("Boastful Soldier") byPlautus, the term applies to the main character Pyrgopolynices. This foolishMiles Gloriosus brags openly and often about his supposed greatness, while the rest of the characters feign their admiration and secretly plot against him. Heavily borrowing from Plautus, theStephen Sondheim-Burt Shevelove-Larry Gelbart musicalA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum features a warrior named Miles Gloriosus.
An example inTerence of thealazon character is Thraso in theEunuchus. Like Pyrgopolinices in theMiles Gloriosus, Thraso is attended by a flatterer or parasite who follows him round and attends to his wishes. Like Pyrgopolinices, Thraso is wealthy and is a rival of the young man in the story for the love of a courtesan.
Shakespeare uses the type most notably with the bombastic and self-glorifying ensignAncient Pistol inHenry IV, Part 2,The Merry Wives of Windsor andHenry V.[4] Other examples are "fashion's own knight", the Spaniard Armardo, inLove's Labour's Lost, the worthless Captain Parolles inAll's Well That Ends Well, andFalstaff inHenry IV, Part 1 andPart 2, andThe Merry Wives of Windsor. Sir Tophas ofJohn Lyly'sEndymion also fits the mold.
Baron Munchausen is a braggart soldier.
InCommedia dell'arte, the figure ofIl Capitano is amiles gloriosus.[5]
In the novel,A Confederacy of Dunces, the main character, Ignatius J. Reilly, believes himself to be better than everyone because of his apathy towards modern society and his Medievalist views.
InDr Strangelove, Gen. Buck Turgidson reveals himself as a boastful soldier when we discover that his tough talk about torture is to cover up his own fear of it; whereas Capt. Mandrake - the eirôn - actually was tortured, and seems to have dealt with it.
In music, the title role ofHáry János byKodály is an example of the character.
In the PC gameThe Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, there is a non-playable character named Miles Gloriosus, willing to brag about his accomplishments as soldier.
Thesenex iratus or heavy father figure is a comicarchetype character who belongs to the alazon or impostor group intheater, manifesting himself through his rages and threats, his obsessions and his gullibility.
His usual function is to impede the love of thehero and heroine, and his power to do so stems from his greater social position and his increased control of cash. In theNew Comedy, he was often the father of the hero and so his rival. More frequently since, he has been the father of the heroine who insists on her union with the bad fiancé; as such, he appears in bothA Midsummer Night's Dream, where he fails and so the play is a comedy, andRomeo and Juliet, where his acts are successful enough to render the play a tragedy.
Pantalone inCommedia dell'arte acts as asenex iratus.
In hisAnatomy of Criticism,Northrop Frye considered all blocking humors in comedy to be variations on the basic function of thesenex iratus.
alazon, which means imposter, someone who pretends or tries to be something more than he is. The most popular types ofalazon are themiles gloriosus and the learned crank or obsessed philosopher.
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