Please read The Pot of Gold, Psedolus, 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.?Please be prepared to work with the other students who read the same play you did in preparing a presentation on the play to the rest of the class.
I choose to use the quote said by Menaechmus on page 189 as my example. He said, “ he and I are going to have a drinking battle; and whichever proves himself the superior fighter on the bottle-field, becomes your conscript. You shall be umpire and choose which you will have for your-night. Oh my darling, when I look at you, how I hate my wife!”
ReplyDeleteThis proves to us that while there were strong families in Roman society, that at times people would cheat on their spouse. They are human and yes they have faults. It shows us that the Roman society was in many ways like ours is now. Not always are spouses faithful to one another.
The line I choose on page 110 when Menaechmus is speaking to his mistress Erotium "Spolis from my wife for your adornment, my rose." It shows that Menaechmus puts more value on his romantic relationship with a mistress than he does on the value of his marriage to his wife. He likes his mistress a lot better than he likes his own wife and takes things from his wife and gives them as gifts to his mistress. This doesn't seem like there is strong Roman values when it comes to husbands and wives.
ReplyDeleteFrom the play “The Pot of Gold”…near the end.
ReplyDeleteEuclio: “If that money can go where it will do some good, I shall be the happiest man in the world, instead of the most miserable, which is what I have been ever since it came into my possession.”
He goes on to say that since he found the gold he’d done nothing but worry about hiding it from potential thieves, imagining bumps in the night that he thought was somebody digging up his money, etc. It conveys the idea that money doesn’t bring happiness to one’s life, but rather more troubles. Perhaps a longing for a return to more simple times when people didn’t worry so much about material things…a longing that many people still have today.
Lyconides confesses that he has done Euclio's daughter wrong,"last harvest eve." There is an implication here that the Romans had a celebration on the eve before harvest.
ReplyDeleteThe play, Pot of Gold, says many different things about Roman society. In the beginning of the play Lar is saying that Euclio and his father had not paid attention to offerings and they were treated poorly in return. However, Euclio's daughter made daily offerings of incense, wine, and flowers. This would be an indication that Roman men were no longer loyal to their "Gods" while the women were.
The way Phaedria is treated by her father is an indication of the familial order of Rome. Euclio agrees to let Megadorus marry his daughter without the consent of Phaedria. It would appear that the daughters of Rome had no say in who they would marry. Or it could be a commentary on the lack of the individual rights of the women of Rome.
“Moreover, if after this day you do any such thing to me, I'll force you, a divorced woman, turned out of my doors to go visit your father. For as often as I wish to go out of the house, you are detaining me, calling me back, asking me questions; whither I am going, what matter I am about, what business I am transacting, what I am wanting, what I am bringing, what I have been doing out of doors? I've surely brought home a custom-house officer1 as my wife; so much am I obliged to disclose all my business, whatever I have done and am doing.” This quote shows that in Roman society spouses fought. Also, that divorces was an option for spouses who didn’t get along. This quote also shows that according to some men felt that women should not be involved in their husband’s business. Later in the passage Menaechmus threatens to get a mistress, which he later does. This shows that cheating was also a problem in some Roman marriages.
ReplyDelete"In case you don't know who I am, let me briefly introduce myself. I am Lar Familiaris, the guardian spirit of this house." ... "On his deathbed, miser that he was, he never said a word aobut the money to his son; he would rather leave his own son a pauper than let him know about this secret hoard. All the left him was little bit of land from which he could scrape a living by sweat and toil."
ReplyDeleteWhat I see from day to day life from this opening act in The Pot of Gold is that the gods are deeply involved into peoples day to day life's. People had guardian spirits watch over their estate to keep it clean of disease and other catastrophes that would happen. The other thing I see from day to day life is that the Roman father is called a miser by the spirit for not giving his son the secret hoard that the father had. I do not think that the father is a miser but represents one of the pillars of Roman society, frugality. If he were to give all of this money to his son, what would happen? The son would spend it on expensive whiskey and cheap women. Instead the father gave his son enough to sustain himself and make his own way through life, teaching him the value of a full day's work.
The line I chose is pg. 221 from Pseudolus
ReplyDelete"They've only one rule of life:watch you chance to steal, rob, plunder, look, eat, and drink, and do a bunk. That's all they're here for."
I think this is an example of what some slave owners thought about their slaves. Although they complain about them, they keep the slaves around and have them running their entire household. Ballio complains about them, but continues to have so many and let them outnumber those in his household even though he doesn't trust them.
On pages 231-232 of Pseudolus, Pseudolus and Calidorus are hurling insult at Ballio, who is laughing it off. Ballio ends this saying, "I'd be ashamed of having to confess myself a suitor with nothing to offer." In other words, he doesn't care about how dispicable he is, only that he has wealth.
ReplyDeleteI believe that while Plautus is directing the diatribe at a pimp, he is really aiming at all those concerned with turning a profit with no regard to others. Especially those involved in selling other humans: pimps or slave-traders.
From The Brothers Menaechmus: "Oh! I shall... I shall send for my father and tell him all about your wicked doings. Decio! Go and find my father, and bring him back with you. Tell him it's urgent... I'll soon expose all your evil practices!"
ReplyDeleteMenaechmus's wife says this which shows that even though women get married off they still rely on their fathers for support. They can still be a daddy's girl when a issue arises in the house.
The quote I choose from the play "The Pot Of Gold" is Megadorus's lecture about life and women Rome at that time in general. On page 30-31 lines 483 to 563 Megadorus speaks about how times are changing for the Romans as the public has more and more worker's to pay off for there jobs than ever be for. Then he talks about soldiers as they come home and ask for money from there account and everything is overdrawn. Also he say "A wife without a dowry is under her husband's thumb; with one, she can condemn him to misery and bankruptcy..." What I get from this is that it been hard time in Rome at this point and most of the men are gone but the women are taking full advantage of that and basically using all of what their husband work for.
ReplyDeleteIn Pseudolus on page 221 in the final line by Balio starting with come along there and continuing through the rest of the paragraph we can get a clear picture of the status of many of the slaves throughout Rome. It is clear that Balio has little respect for any of them. They are very much a piece of property to him. He talks down to them and expects everything out of them. He uses as a bargaining chip and a pawn rather than as people.
ReplyDeleteRuth Wilson
ReplyDeleteThe last line of Brothers Menaescus, Messino says 'An auction of the property of Menaechmus will certainly take place on the morning of the seventh day hence. His slaves, furniture, house, and farms, will be sold. All will go for whatever they'll fetch at ready money prices. His wife, too, will be sold as well, if any purchaser shall come...'
This shows how peeps got rid of stuff when they wanted to move. I do wonder if he was serious about selling his wife, though...
"He's gone! Ah, ye immortal gods, doesn't money count!"
ReplyDeleteThis line is represnting that riches (material things) should be wanted as well as received to finalize an equal bond between a persona and another.
I chose the very first line in the The Brothers Menechmus. Were it reads "MOSCHUS, a merchant of Syracuse, had two twin sons who exactly resembled each other" that sounds close to how the story of Romulus and Remus starts out as
ReplyDeleteI read the play the Brothers Menaechmus. I think that the line on page 136, where Menaechmus is talking about Peniculus shows us what the client-patron relationship was like. This is just after Peniculus tells Menaechmus' wife what he did so Mecaechmus says "I'll put an end to his life - if you can call it a life - my life, I should say, since it's my food and money he's been living on!" I think this line shows just how much the client's relied on the patrons and how much the patrons gave their clients. Peniculus was called his table-companion and all through the play Peniculus only cared about where they were going to eat and how much. He never bothered figuring out how he would get food for himself, he always relied on Menaechmus for it.
ReplyDeleteJohn Rawerts