One more Plautus Play
Please read The Pot of Gold, Miles Gloriosus (The Swaggering Soldier), or The Brothers Menaechmus. Cite a line or two that shows something one might learn about Roman history from the plays of Plautus. What does this play have to say about Roman values, family relationships, romantic relationships, day-to-day life, religion, etc.?If you like, you may instead read and comment on one of the plays of Terence (The Mother-in-Law, Phormio, or any of the other Terence plays on the Perseus site (www.perseus.tufts.edu).
posted by Ancient Art at 9:07 AM
11 Comments:
Plautus' play, The Swaggering Soldier, made a few interesting comments about women. In the first comment, Periplectomenus said he would, "should a leg as light as any ballet-boy." I found it very interesting that even in the feminine dance of ballet, only men were mentioned. So, maybe in this time period, it was more common for men than women to be in ballet, which is very unlke modern times.
Secondly, when Palaestrio wants his friend to find a woman to trick his master, he says to look for a woman who has, "some sense in her head; sensibility would be too much to expect, no woman has that." This comment really put women's status in perspective for me. Women were thought to be stupid.
I chose to read The pot of gold. The line I decided to cite follows:
"And the water-- if anyone asks for water, tell him it's all run out. As for a knife, or an axe, or a pestle, or a mortar,-- things the neighbours are all the time wanting to borrow-- tell 'em burglars got in and stole the whole lot. I won't have a living soul let into my house while I'm gone." I found this interesting because it is not something that you would read in a history textbook. When I think of the Roman's, I think of them as generous, helpful folks. But in this instance Eucl is definitely not being either of those things. Mr. Rogers would certainly not want to be his neighbor.
I am commenting on the play "Pot of Gold". This play shows a distinction in between the classes in Roman Society. Megadorus wants to marry Euclio's daughter out of love. He is of the wealthy class and Euclio is from the poorer class of Rome. This is something that must not have been done in Roman society. I get this impression because Euclio is very suspicious of Megadorus' prposal. Also it seems that in ancient Rome the bride's family was to provide the wedding feast, besides a dowry. This is shown when Euclio is very worried about not having a dowry to provide his daughter and not being able to buy food for the wedding. It turns out, however, thatEuclio has a secret stash of gold and is not as poor as everyone thinks. There are also some things in here about Roman diet. Euclio is looking for fish, lamb, veal, pork, and tunny fish for the feast. If this is in the play, then perhaps that is what the Romans ate.
As I read the Swaggering Soldier, it seems like Palaestrio is a rather crafty person to be a slave. He states in his delayed and lengthy prologue that he was pursuing his master's girl but captured by pirates and was not able to return to his master. However, he was able to send him a message to come to Ephesus. It worked and the slave lived next door to his former master and was able to allow Pleusicle and his girlfriend to talk without the soldier knowing.
Palaestrio also devised plots to hide events from ever being proven. He conspired to convince the people that his Philocomasium had a twin sister and that the slave chasing a monkey did not see her making love to a stranger.
The main Roman value expressed in this play are that romantic relationship can lead to many unforseen circumstances. Also, if you need to get out of any bad situation, lie and cover up the true facts, like many politicians. Also, there was a lot of slaves and poor people, including one that chased monkeys.
I read the Swaggering Soldier and the line I chose was towards the beginning when Pleusicles was having a conversation with Periplectomenus. They were talking about children and how if Periplec. had any he would not get any sleep because he would be worrying too much about them. This line showed how Romans felt about family. Even a person without kids could imagine how much they would love their kids if they did have some. This shows that family is a very important value in Rome.
My key line is from The Pot of Gold Act III Scene 5. I really liked the character of Megadorus. Now here is an honest guy who is not interested in money. He is speaking of doing away with dowries:
“And now supposing some one should ask: " Who are the rich girls with dowries going to marry, if you make this rule for the poor ones?" Why, anyone they please, let 'em marry, provided their dowry doesn't go along with 'em.”
This passage shows the Romans have fallen into the idea of marrying for money and not for love. Plautus’s Megadorus is expressing that the Romans should re-examine their moral values when marrying—that marriages should not be made for money. Good for Plautus!
I think the play Pot of Gold makes one question the honestly of most cooks. As with other plays the cook stretched his ingredients to get a better pay and here is constantly harrassed about stealing. This could be seen how most Romans felt about hired cooks. As Pythodicus says,"By gad, it's the devil's own job keeping an eye on those chaps. The only way is to make 'em cook dinner in the dungeon and then haul it up in baskets when it's done. Even so, though, if they're down there gobbling up all they cook, it's a case of starve in heaven and stuff in hell." It seems there is a huge mistrust here.
After reading, The Pot of Gold, I realized that the character, Euclio, is very much the 'bad character'.
His greatest characteristic is his greed. He shows throughout the whole play that he is more worried about his pot of gold than his daughter and his happiness.
Plautus uses Euclio as a symbol for the Roman people. Euclio was a good man, thrifty and shrewd, but when he found the gold he became the worst sort of person- selfish, rude, greedy, and paranoid. In the end, he gives the money away, understanding that he would be happiest person without it, and that he was miserable with it.
-amber
In the Swaggering Soldier, I found this comment made by Palaestrio interesting:
"Tell her not to forget she's a woman, and to keep using all her womanly arts and devices."
I think this shows that women then, and certainly throughout history, were often taught to use their feminine charms in order to get what they wanted or needed from men. It seems that this was the only card women held in a deck stacked against them, and they had to know how and when to use it.
there are many aspects one could look at in these plays. I read "The Swaggering Soldier". this play shows how most of the average ROMANS BELIEVE WOMEN AND SLAVES ARE STUPID but in truth are vicious and coniving. Both the women and the slaves show trickery and deception.
MENAECHMUS of Epidamnus. (holds out the skirt of the mantle) . Come then, take a sniff at this mantle that I'm holding. What does it smell of? Do you decline?
PENICULUS It's as well to smell the top of a woman's garment; for at this other place the nose is offended with an odour that can't be washed out.
MENAECHMUS of Epidamnus. (holding another part) . Take a smell here then, Peniculus, as you are so daintily nice.
PENICULUS Very well. (He smells it.)
MENAECHMUS How now? What does it smell of? Answer me.
PENICULUS Theft, a mistress, and a breakfast. To you * * * * *
MENAECHMUS of Epidamnus. You have spoken out * * * * * now it shall be taken to this mistress of mine, the Courtesan Erotium. I'll order a breakfast at once to be got ready, for me, you, and her; then will we booze away even to the morrow's morning star.
This shows here that at some point when Plautus was writing his plays, that the morality of the Roman Empire was starting to shift. From an area that tended to be honorable to an era that showed extreme disrespect for the ways of the ancestors. In his own way, i believe that Plautus was tryign to bring a serious issue to life, while trying to poke a little fun at the issue itself.
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