Shaping comedy: <i>Plassō</i> in the <i>Scholia Vetera</i> on Aristophanes and its intellectual background

ABSTRACT Ancient critics used the verb πλάσσω both neutrally, to describe artistic invention, and pejoratively, to expose poetic forgeries. Commentators on Aristophanes’ comedies drew on its broad semantic range to characterize diverse aspects of his work: moulding raw material, shaping plots, manipulating myths and texts, punning, and inventing comic language. This paper first surveys the role of πλάσσω in ancient narrative theory, from early uses in Plato and Aristotle to its development in the Hellenistic period. It then analyses the verb’s varied meanings and functions in the scholia vetera on Aristophanes. The aim is to illuminate Hellenistic interpretive practices by situating the commentators’ use of πλάσσω within the broader context of ancient theories of fiction and poetic composition.