ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book discusses Theophrastus' extant works, the Characters which stands out as a particularly unique and influential contribution. Theophrastus' method influenced many later authors, including later Peripatetics, Roman satirists and poets, and, in the medieval period, Geoffrey Chaucer. The book explores Theophrastus' particular interest in physical and moral deficiencies contributed the 'science' of physiognomy and the theory that a person's character can be deduced from his/her appearance movements and gestures. It describes Theophrastus' comic presentation of the Characters that the work has sometimes been dismissed as nothing more than 'light entertainment'. This view fails to recognise the ethical substructure of the work. Theophrastus' style in the Characters sits well with his views about the importance of lively delivery and one can imagine Theophrastus acting out his character portraits in a highly entertaining manner for a public audience.
