thumb|The first column of the Herodas papyrus, showing ''Mimiamb'' 1. 1–15.

Herodas (Greek: ), or Herondas (the name is spelt differently in the few places where he is mentioned), was a Greek poet and the author of short humorous dramatic scenes in verse, written under the Alexandrian empire in the 3rd century BC.

Apart from the intrinsic merit of these pieces, they are interesting in the history of Greek literature as being a new species, illustrating Alexandrian methods. They are called ''Mimiamboi'' (Greek: μιμίαμβοι, "Mime-iambics"), or mimes. Mimes were the Dorian product of South Italy and Sicily, and the most famous of them – from which Plato is said to have studied the drawing of character – were the work of Sophron.

These were scenes in popular life, written in the language of the people, vigorous with racy proverbs such as we get in other reflections of that region – in Petronius and the ''Pentamerone''. Two of the best known and the most vital among the ''Idylls'' of Theocritus, the 2nd and the 15th, we know to have been derived from mimes of Sophron. What Theocritus is doing there, Herodas, his younger contemporary, is doing in another manner – casting old material into novel form, upon a small scale, under strict conditions of technique. The method is entirely Alexandrian: Sophron had written in a peculiar kind of rhythmical prose; Theocritus uses the hexameter and Doric, Herodas the scazon or "lame" iambic (with a dragging spondee at the end) and the old Ionic dialect with which that curious metre was associated. That, however, hardly goes beyond the choice and form of words; the structure of the sentences is close-knit Attic. Herodas did not write his mimiambics in the contemporary Greek ''koine'' of his period. Rather, he affected a quaint style that imitated the Greek spoken in the sixth century. (Cunningham 14)

But the grumbling metre and quaint language suit the tone of common life which Herodas aims at realizing; for, as Theocritus may be called idealist, Herodas is a realist unflinching. His persons talk in vehement exclamations and emphatic turns of speech, with proverbs and fixed phrases; and occasionally, where it is designed as proper to the part, with the most naked coarseness of expression. The scene of the second and the fourth is laid at Cos, and the speaking characters in each are never more than three.

Herodas' mimes

Mime I

In Mime I the old nurse, now the professional go-between or bawd, calls on Metriche, whose husband has been long away in Egypt, and endeavours to excite her interest in a most desirable young man, fallen deeply in love with her at first sight. After hearing all the arguments Metriche declines with dignity, but consoles the old woman with an ample glass of wine, this kind being always represented with the taste of Mrs Gamp.

Mime II

This is a monologue by the "whoremonger" prosecuting a merchant-trader for breaking into his establishment at night and attempting to carry off one of the inmates, who is produced in court. The vulgar blackguard, who is a stranger to any sort of shame, remarking that he has no evidence to call, proceeds to a peroration in the regular oratorical style, appealing to the Coan judges not to be unworthy of their traditional glories. In fact, the whole oration is also a burlesque in every detail of an Attic speech at law; and in this case we have the material from which to estimate the excellence of the parody.

Mime III

Metrotimé, a desperate mother, brings to the schoolmaster Lampriscos her truant son, Cottalos, with whom neither she nor his incapable old father can do anything. In a voluble stream of interminable sentences she narrates his misdeeds and implores the schoolmaster to flog him. The boy accordingly is hoisted on another's back and flogged; but his spirit does not appear to be subdued, and the mother resorts to the old man after all.

Mime IV

This is a visit of two poor women with an offering to the temple of Asclepius at Cos. While the humble cock is being sacrificed, they turn, like the women in the Ion of Euripides, to admire the works of art; among them a small boy strangling a vulpanser – doubtless the work of Boethus that we knowand a sacrificial procession by Apelles, "the Ephesian," of whom we have an interesting piece of contemporary eulogy. The oily sacristan is admirably painted in a few slight strokes.

Mime V

This brings us very close to some unpleasant facts of ancient life. The jealous woman accuses one of her slaves, whom she has made her favourite, of infidelity; has him bound and sent degraded through the town to receive 2000 lashes; no sooner is he out of sight than she recalls him to be branded "at one job." The only pleasing person in the piece is the little maidservant permitted liberties as a verna brought up in the house whose ready tact suggests to her mistress an excuse for postponing execution of a threat made in ungovernable fury.

Mime VI

A friendly chat or a private conversation. The subject is a domestic one; Metro has arrived at Koritto's house to ask her where she acquired a dildo, but the dialogue is as clever and amusing as the rest, with some delightful touches. Our interest is engaged here in a certain Kerdon, the maker of the dildo and who hides this trade by the front of being a cobbler. On acquiring the information she desired, Metro leaves to seek him out.

Mime VII

The same Kerdon and Metro whom we see in VI appear, Metro bringing some friends to Kerdon's shoe shop, (his name, which means "profiteer", had already become generic for the shoemaker as the typical representative of retail trade) he is a little bald man with a fluent tongue, complaining of hard times, who bluffs and wheedles by turns. The sexual undertones which we have come to expect from his involvement in VI are only realised at the end when Metro's friends have left the shop.

Mime VIII

Opens with the poet waking up his servants to listen to his dream; but we have only the beginning, and the other fragments are very short. Within the limits of 100 lines or less Herodas presents us with a highly entertaining scene and with characters definitely drawn.

Discussion

Some of these had been perfected no doubt upon the Attic stage, where the tendency in the 4th century had been gradually to evolve accepted types—not individuals, but generalizations from a class, an art in which Menander's was esteemed the master-hand.

Their effect is achieved by true dramatic means, with touches never wasted and the more delightful often because they do not clamour for attention. The execution has the qualities of first-rate Alexandrian work in miniature, such as the epigrams of Asclepiades possess, the finish and firm outlines; and these little pictures bear the test of all artistic work – they do not lose their freshness with familiarity, and gain in interest as one learns to appreciate their subtle points.

References

The papyrus manuscript, obtained from the Fayum, is in the possession of the British Museum, and was first printed by FG Kenyon in 1891. Editions by Otto Crusius (1905, text only, in Teubner series) and JA Nairn (1904), with introduction, notes and bibliography.

There is an English verse translation of the mimes by H. Sharpley (1906) under the title ''A Realist of the Aegean'' and another by Guy Davenport (1981). A prose translation is included in the Walter Headlam edition (1922).

Cunningham, I.C. ''Herodas.'' ''Mimiambi.'' Oxford, 1971.

External links

''Theophrastus Characters. Herodas, Cercidas and the Greek Choliambic Poets'', ed. & trans. J. M. Edmonds, A. D. Knox. (1925). Loeb Classical Library.

Category:Ancient Greek dramatists and playwrights Category:Ancient Greek poets Category:3rd-century BC Greek people Category:Year of birth unknown Category:Year of death unknown

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Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	Ryan Dunn
birth name	Ryan Matthew Dunn
birth date	June 11, 1977
birth place	Medina, Ohio, U.S.
death date	June 20, 2011
death place	West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
occupation	Stunt performer, television personality, actor
yearsactive	1997–2011

Ryan Matthew Dunn (June 11, 1977 – June 20, 2011) was an American reality television personality and daredevil best known for being a member of the ''Jackass'' and ''Viva La Bam'' crew. He hosted ''Homewrecker'' and ''Proving Ground''. A member of the CKY Crew, Dunn played one of the main characters in Bam Margera's 2003 film ''Haggard: The Movie'', which was based on a failed relationship Dunn had experienced. He died at the age of 34 in an alcohol-related car crash in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Early years

Dunn was born in Medina, Ohio, the son of Linda and Ronald Dunn. He grew up in Williamsville, New York, before moving to West Chester, Pennsylvania, with his parents in his early teens. He first came to public attention while appearing in four videos alongside his friends in the CKY Crew.

Career

Dunn took part in the characteristic stunts that made ''Jackass'' famous. Arguably, Dunn's most infamous skit in ''Jackass: The Movie'' featured Dunn placing a toy car into his rectum. The car was placed inside a condom and was covered in lubricant. He then visited a doctor and complained of pain in his tailbone. An x-ray session revealed that a small car was lodged in his body bringing surprise to the doctor. Dunn was featured in ''Jackass Number Two''.

In 2006, Dunn and Bam Margera participated in the Gumball 3000 road rally in Margera's Lamborghini Gallardo. He later went on a tour with Don Vito called "The Dunn and Vito Rock Tour" for which the DVD was released on March 20, 2007. Dunn and Margera again participated in the rally in 2008.

Bam Margera stated during a December 2, 2008, radio interview with ''Big O and Dukes'' of 106.7 WJFK-FM, that he and Dunn would be going to Italy to film ''Where the F*%# are my Ancestors''. That same month, Dunn appeared on the episode "Smut" of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' in December 2008. He is also featured in a movie called ''Street Dreams'' which was released in spring 2009. He co-starred along with Rob Dyrdek and Paul Rodriguez Jr. Dunn was also featured on a show with fellow ''Jackass'' star Bam Margera about them traveling through Europe in a ''Viva la Bam''-like show called ''Bam's World Domination'' for Spike. He appeared in ''Jackass 3D'', which was released on October 15, 2010. Dunn co-hosted G4's ''Proving Ground'' along with Jessica Chobot, which made its premiere on June 14, 2011, six days before his death. However, according to a G4 spokesperson, the channel decided to not to hold postpone the airing of further episodes. The spokesperson added, "The show is off the schedule as of today until we discuss next steps." On June 27, G4 announced they would air the remaining episodes starting on July 19, 2011.

Death

On June 20, 2011, at around 3:30 a.m. EDT, Dunn and Zachary Hartwell, a production assistant on ''Jackass Number Two'', died when Dunn's Porsche 911 GT3 came off the road and hit a tree in West Goshen Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Hours before the accident, Dunn had posted a photo to his Twitter account of himself and Hartwell drinking at a West Chester bar. Dunn was identified in the police report as the vehicle's driver, and a subsequent toxicology report showed Dunn had a blood alcohol level of 0.196% — more than twice the state's legal limit of 0.08%. Police stated ''"...that speed may have been a contributing factor in the accident..."'' and preliminary investigations suggested that the car had been traveling between in a zone. Dunn flipped his car eight times in the same location 15 years ago in 1996, according to Bam Margera, who was a passenger at the time.

The Tuesday after Dunn's death, Bam Margera visited the crash site for the first time and broke down crying. The following day, Dunn's ''Jackass'' co-stars Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera, along with Phil Margera, April Margera, Jeff Tremaine and Bam's wife Missy Margera attended a private memorial service held in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Dunn's remains were brought back to his home state of Ohio for burial.

Works

;Television

''Jackass'' (MTV, 2000–2002)

''Viva La Bam'' (MTV, 2003–2006)

''Homewrecker'' (MTV, 2005)

''Bam's Unholy Union'' (MTV, 2007)

''Jackassworld.com: 24 Hour Takeover'' (MTV Special, 2008)

''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (NBC, 2008, One episode)

''Bam's World Domination'' (Spike, 2010)

''Proving Ground (TV series)'' (G4 TV, 2011)

''Minute to Win It'' (NBC, 2011)

;DVDs and videos

''Landspeed presents: CKY (1999)

''CKY2K (2000)

''CKY3'' (2001)

''CKY Documentary'' (2001)

''Don't Try This At Home - The Steve-O Video Vol. 1'' (2001)

''Don't Try This At Home - The Steve-O Video Vol. 2: The Tour'' (2002)

''CKY4: The Latest & Greatest'' (2002)

''Steve-O - Out On Bail'' (2003)

''Dunn & Vito's Rock Tour'' (2008)

;Films

''Jackass: The Movie'' (2002)

''Haggard: The Movie'' (2003)

''Jackass Number Two'' (2006)

''The Dudesons Movie'' (2006)

''3000 Miles'' (2007)

''Blonde Ambition'' (2007)

''Jackass 2.5'' (2007)

''Bam Margera Presents: Where the ♯$&% Is Santa?'' (2008)

''Minghags: The Movie'' (2009)

''Street Dreams'' (2009)

''Jackass 3D'' (2010)

''Living Will'' (filmed in 2010)

''Booted'' (2011)

''Close-Up'' (2011)

''Jackass 3.5'' (2011)

''Welcome to the Bates Motel'' (2012)

;Music

The Alter Boys - ''The Exotic Sounds of the Alter Boys'' (2005)

References

Dunn was also working on the film, "Welcome to the Bates Motel", which is slated for release in Spring 2012.

External links

Category:1977 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Alcohol-related deaths Category:Alcohol-related deaths in Pennsylvania Category:American stunt performers Category:American television personalities Category:CKY Category:People from Chester County, Pennsylvania Category:People from Medina County, Ohio Category:Pranksters Category:Road accident deaths in Pennsylvania

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