183:, and he uses this knowledge to get a free meal from Hegio, then proceeds to go wild in the kitchen. Hegio's former slave Stalagmus, who stole Hegio's other son when he was four years old, also arrives on the scene and confesses his iniquity. Eventually everybody discovers that Tyndarus is that stolen son, causing Hegio to realize he should have treated him better when he was his captive slave. Hegio and his two sons, Philopolemus and Tyndarus, are reunited in a happy ending.
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younger son to
Philocrates' father. Hegio immediately calls Philocrates to come outside. After questioning Stalagmus, Philocrates confirms that Tyndarus is Hegio's missing son stolen 20 years previously. Tyndarus now arrives, describing the horrors he has endured in the stone quarries. Hegio greets him as his son, and Philocrates explains what has happened. Hegio calls for a blacksmith to remove Tyndarus's heavy fetters and put them on Stalagmus.
533:. He is shown as capable of cruelty and quite impulsive, but also as generous and ultimately sympathetic. The master-slave relationship between Philocrates and Tyndarus is also portrayed with a sensitivity rare in Plautus, who actually congratulates himself on his unaccustomed seriousness in the play's prologue. Still, Plautus offers enough horseplay, especially by Ergasilus, to keep a Roman audience from souring on his “noble” aspirations.
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158:, have been captured in war with another Greek region, Aetolia. They are now prisoners and slaves bought by Hegio, a well-to-do resident of Aetolia, who is planning to trade them for his son, Philopolemus, who has been captured in Elis. Pretending to be each other, the supposed slave Philocrates is sent to make the trade, while Tyndarus risks his life by remaining.
201:
An alternative way of analysing the plays is to consider the changes of metre. A common pattern in
Plautus is for each section to begin with iambic senarii (which were spoken without music), then a scene of music in various metres, then a scene of trochaic septenarii, which were apparently recited to
282:
Philocrates in turn begs
Tyndarus to keep up the pretence of being a rich man's son. Hegio now returns and, believing Philocrates to be the slave, takes him to one side and asks him about his master's wealth; then he questions Tyndarus. Tyndarus admits to being the son of a wealthy father, and urges
521:
are sometimes played for laughs and the sponger
Ergasilus is brought on for some silly stage business, there are also quite serious speeches about the fate of slaves and the realities of war. In fact, the play begins with Philocrates and Tyndarus heavily and painfully shackled, and the harshness of
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Ergasilus, a parasite, now enters, complaining that ever since Hegio's son
Philopolemus was captured in the war, he has had no invitations to dinner. Hegio now comes out of his house and orders that the captives should be put in lighter chains. He exchanges banter with Ergasilus and invites him to
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The actor delivering the prologue explains to the audience that the play is set in
Aetolia. He points to Tyndarus and his master Philocrates, who are standing in chains, and explains that they are war-captives from Elis whom Hegio hopes to exchange for his son Philopolemus who has been captured in
599:
In 2016, Jeff S. Dailey directed a limited-run Off
Broadway production at the John Cullum Theatre in midtown Manhattan, using an amalgamation of several Victorian translations. His direction won a Jean Dalrymple Award for Innovative Theatre, in the category of Best Direction of a Classical Play.
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Ergasilus seizes Hegio's hand and tells him to prepare a sacrifice and a feast at once. He explains that he has seen Hegio's son arriving at the harbour along with
Philocrates and a runaway slave Stalagmus, who had once stolen Hegio's younger son. Hegio tells Ergasilus to go indoors and arrange a
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Hegio, furious that he has been tricked out of the chance to redeem his son, accuses
Tyndarus of unfaithfulness. Tyndarus attempts to defend himself, and Aristophontes, realising too late what he has done, begs Hegio to forgive Tyndarus, but in vain. Hegio orders his guards to take Tyndarus off
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Hegio thanks
Philocrates for bringing back his son, and Philocrates begs him to release the faithful Tyndarus. Hegio agrees to free him without payment, and invites the two young men to go inside to bathe. Meanwhile Hegio questions Stalagmus, who freely admits that he ran away and sold Hegio's
351:
Hegio returns bringing another prisoner, Aristophontes, who has told him that he knows Philocrates. Hegio takes him into the house. Tyndarus immediately runs out of the house crying that he is ruined and cannot now escape. While Tyndarus is still lamenting, Hegio brings Aristophontes
220:
The most common metre used in this play of 1208 lines is the trochaic septenarius (700 lines), followed by the iambic senarius (359 lines) and iambic octonarius (42 lines). Cretic and bacchiac metres take up 27 lines each, the trochaic octonarius 12 lines, and anapaests only 8 lines.
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Plautus's plays are traditionally divided into five acts; these are referred to here for convenience, since many editions make use of them. However, it is not thought that they go back to Plautus's time, since no manuscript contains them before the 15th century.
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Aristophontes immediately recognises Tyndarus and says that he is not Philocrates but his slave. Tyndarus tries to claim that Aristophontes is a madman, but eventually Hegio, after asking Aristophontes to describe the real Philocrates, learns the
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the war. He says that the master Philocrates and slave Tyndarus have switched identities in the hope that they can trick Hegio into sending Philocrates home. He also reveals that Tyndarus is in fact Hegio's younger son who was stolen in childhood.
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Tyndarus and Philocrates say an emotional farewell. Philocrates praises Tyndarus' kindness towards him. Tyndarus begs him not to abandon him once he is home. Hegio then takes Philocrates off to arrange for a passport and money for the
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When they have gone, the parasite Ergasilus returns from the forum complaining that he has been unable to get a better invitation that Hegio's. He says he is going to the harbour to search there also.
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are unsuccessful. When Hegio finds out from Aristophontes that he has been deceived, he sends Tyndarus to the quarries for backbreaking labor. Declaring that dying courageously is not an everlasting
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Ergasilus returns from the harbour rejoicing that he has good news for Hegio. Meanwhile Hegio enters lamenting that he has been tricked. He overhears Ergasilus talking excitedly to himself.
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A slave boy comes out and describes how Ergasilus is creating havoc in the kitchen. Hegio arrives, praising the gods. He brings with him Philocrates, Stalagmus and his son Philopolemus.
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Tyndarus and Philocrates ask the guards for permission to talk privately. They go to one side and Tyndarus begs Philocrates not to abandon him when he has reached home.
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Hegio tells Philocrates that he has agreed to send him to Elis, but that he is setting a price on his head of 20 minae (pounds) if he does not return.
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Ergasilus is running along the street shouting that he will knock aside anyone who impedes his progress. He reaches Hegio's door and knocks.
581:. The lack of obvious sexual humor, so common in Plautus’ other works, has also occasioned much critical comment and occasional approval.
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A friend of Philocrates named Aristophontes has also been captured, and Tyndarus’ efforts to fool Hegio by claiming that Aristophontes is
179:
is provided by a sponger, Ergasilus, looking for a free dinner from Hegio. He has learned that Hegio's son Philopolemus has returned to
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dinner, although warning him that the dinner will be a poor one. He departs to inspect some more captives at his brother's house.
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immediately to the stone-quarries for punishment. He takes Aristophontes back to join the other captives at his brother's house.
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The protagonist Hegio is an interesting character, more deeply drawn than most of Plautus' other figures, who tend to be comic
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feast. He departs to the harbour. Ergasilus speaks excitedly of the feast he is going to prepare; then he goes inside.
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loose plotting, rushed conclusion, and too-short time scheme. Others have dismissed these concerns as rather
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their treatment counterbalances the humorous by-play that Plautus injects into the proceedings to keep his
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Plautus, Vol. I: Amphitryon; The Comedy of Asses; The Pot of Gold; The Two Bacchises; The Captives
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to be the finest play ever staged. This hyperbolic praise has been deprecated by later
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Act 4.4–5.1 (909–929): iambic octonarii (14 lines), bacchiac (6 lines), tr8 (2 lines)
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Less sympathetic critics, such as E.F. Watling, have written harshly about
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Unlike most of Plautus’ comedies, this play offers little in the way of
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titillation and instead concentrates on rather serious subjects:
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Hegio to send Philocrates to Elis to redeem Hegio's captured son.
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and irrelevant to a play that does not pretend to be rigorously
563:, but the play has still earned plaudits for treating important
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688:. Cambridge University Press, pp. 237-42, 253-8, 305-8, 367-71.
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Act 5.1 (cont.)–5.4 (930–1036): trochaic septenarii (99 lines)
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Act 2.3 (cont.)–3.1 (385–497): trochaic septenarii (113 lines)
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Act 2.1 (cont.)–2.2 (242–360): trochaic septenarii (118 lines)
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Act 4.2 (cont.)–4.3 (838–908): trochaic septenarii (71 lines)
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Prologue; Act 1.1–2 (lines 1–194): iambic senarii (194 lines)
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indirectly paid tribute to the play by adapting the plot of
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Act 3.4 (cont.) (541–658): trochaic septenarii (118 lines)
107:, written circa 200 BCE. The title has been translated as
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Act 4.2 (cont.) (791–832): trochaic septenarii (41 lines)
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Hegio calls to Ergasilus and asks why he is so excited.
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517:. Although the mistaken identity elements of the
431:Act 4.2 (cont.) (833–836): mixed metres (5 lines)
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768:Plautus; Translated by Wolfgang de Melo (2011).
169:, Tyndarus tries to convince Hegio that his own
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399:Act 4.1–4.2 (768–790): mixed metres (32 lines)
343:Act 3.2–3.4 (498–540): mixed metres (43 lines)
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382:Act 3.5 (659–767): iambic senarii (109 lines)
150:Philocrates and his slave Tyndarus, from the
296:Act 2.3 (361–384): iambic senarii (24 lines)
732:. E.F. Watling (trans.). Penguin Classics.
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753:Plautus; Translated by Paul Roche (1968).
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258:Act 2.1 (195–241): mixed metres (47 lines)
797:Scholarly review of a book of essays on
127:. Although the play contains much broad
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16:Ancient Roman play by Plautus
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1036:Plays set in ancient Greece
814:public domain audiobook at
645:David M. Christenson, 2008
463:Hegio finds his younger son
79:, before the house of Hegio
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772:. Loeb Classical Library.
700:The Meters of Roman Comedy
684:Moore, Timothy J. (2012),
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553:Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
44:(perpetual dinner guest)
671:Merrill, F. R. (1972).
290:Philocrates is released
755:Three Plays by Plautus
654:Wolfang de Melo, 2011
216:ABC, AC, BC, ABCBC, BC
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193:Metres of Roman comedy
686:Music in Roman Comedy
621:Paul Nixon, 1916-38:
575:for his early comedy
202:the accompaniment of
191:Further information:
105:Titus Maccius Plautus
555:famously pronounced
376:Despair turns to joy
337:Tyndarus is betrayed
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62:Philopolemus
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999:Truculentus
950:Mostellaria
908:Cistellaria
550:philosopher
531:stereotypes
208:(a pair of
119:focuses on
64:Stalagmus,
1015:Categories
866:Amphitryon
659:References
569:Ben Jonson
501:Key themes
210:reed pipes
115:, and the
102:playwright
37:Characters
27:Written by
992:Trinummus
971:Pseudolus
929:Menaechmi
887:Bacchides
880:Aulularia
852:Plays by
757:. Mentor.
675:, p. xix.
626:full text
617:full text
594:realistic
586:Captivi’s
137:Captivi’s
42:parasitus
964:Poenulus
936:Mercator
922:Epidicus
915:Curculio
873:Asinaria
816:LibriVox
636:, 1965
612:, 1912:
590:pedantic
567:issues.
526:amused.
524:audience
352:outside.
321:journey.
140:prologue
133:comedies
68:of Hegio
52:freeborn
48:Overseer
985:Stichus
894:Captivi
854:Plautus
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624:Captivi
615:Captivi
573:Captivi
565:ethical
561:critics
557:Captivi
181:Aetolia
171:loyalty
121:slavery
87:Captivi
77:Aetolia
73:Setting
31:Plautus
22:Captivi
978:Rudens
901:Casina
776:
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543:German
507:sexual
369:truth.
205:tibiae
163:insane
60:a page
957:Persa
167:death
152:Greek
129:humor
99:Roman
92:Latin
90:is a
46:Hegio
774:ISBN
734:ISBN
649:BMCR
548:and
546:poet
541:The
519:plot
156:Elis
123:and
117:plot
95:play
515:war
111:or
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