Plautus: Menaechmi

V. Sophie Klein

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781350092754
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literatura
• Subtopic: Arte dramático antiguo y clásico

This new volume in the Bloomsbury Ancient Comedy Companions series is perfect for students coming to one of Plautus' most whimsical, provocative, and influential plays for the first time, and a useful first point of reference for scholars less familiar with Roman comedy. Menaechmi is a tale of identical twin brothers who are separated as young children and reconnect as adults following a series of misadventures due to mistaken identity. A gluttonous parasite, manipulative courtesan, shrewish wife, crotchety father-in-law, bumbling cook, saucy handmaid, quack doctor, and band of thugs comprise the colourful cast of characters. Each encounter with a misidentified twin destabilizes the status quo and provides valuable insight into Roman domestic and social relationships. The book analyzes the power dynamics at play in the various relationships, especially between master and slave and husband and wife, in order to explore the meaning of freedom and the status of slaves and women in Roman culture and Roman comedy. These fundamental societal concerns gave Plautus' Menaechmi an enduring role in the classical tradition, which is also examined here, including notable adaptations by William Shakespeare, Jean François Regnard, Carlo Goldoni and Rodgers and Hart.

1

TWINtroduction to Menaechmi, Plautus and Roman Comedy

Menaechmi: A prologue

Plautus’ Menaechmi is a rollicking comedy of errors about a pair of long-lost identical twin brothers who reunite after many years and one madcap day of mistaken identity mix-ups. With its fanciful premise, memorable characters and farcical antics, the play is one of the most accessible, influential and enduring examples of Roman Comedy. It’s not all bubbly doubling and happy endings, however. While Menaechmi showcases a playful plot, sparkling dialogue and dynamic stage action, its humour can also be dark and deeply troubling at times, particularly in its depictions of slavery and misogyny. The playwright balances shtick and social commentary, bumbling tomfoolery and soaring word play to tell a tale that is distinctly Plautine and also part of a much larger comic tradition.

The aim of this book is to provide the essential background information for studying and interpreting the play. It situates Menaechmi in its original cultural, theatrical and thematic contexts, and shines a spotlight on the witty language, waggish personalities and wacky shenanigans that shape the story and epitomize Roman Comedy. Chapter 1 sets out an overview of the play, its playwright, and the circumstances of its composition and production (when, where, how, by whom, and for whom Menaechmi was originally performed). Chapter 2 investigates Menaechmi’s setting, characters and themes. The first section discusses the relationship between the Greek world in which the comedy is set and the Roman world for which it was written. The subsequent sections each focus on a particular ‘stock’ character, providing the relevant socio-historical background, discussing the characters’ representations in this play and in the New Comic tradition, and exploring the themes that arise from their interactions with one another. Chapter 3 looks at the ‘bits, banter, and buffoonery’ that typify Plautine humour and electrify the script, including metatheatre, word play and physical comedy. It also unpacks the preposterously drawn-out recognition scene. Finally, Chapter 4 presents an overview of Menaechmi’s reception, beginning with its first known revival (c. 1486) under Ercole I, the Duke of Ferrara, and ending with a survey of notable modern productions. In all, the book explores the timelessness and universality of the play, which is at once a descendant of Greek New Comedy, an emblem of Roman Comedy, and a forebear of English, French, Italian, and broader global drama.

Plot summary

The story takes place in Epidamnus, a Greek city infamous for its hussies and hustlers (258–264). The scene is set on a street in front of two houses: that of Menaechmus and that of his prostitute, Erotium. A prologue, delivered by an unnamed speaker, lays out the back-story (1–76): Once upon a time there was a merchant from Syracuse who had a pair of twin sons named Menaechmus and Sosicles. Leaving Sosicles at home, the merchant took young Menaechmus on a business trip to Tarentum. There, the child was kidnapped by a merchant from Epidamnus who adopted him as his own. Devastated by the loss of his son, the poor father died of grief. Back in Syracuse, the twins’ grandfather heard the news and decided to rename the remaining son ‘Menaechmus’ after his abducted brother and, moreover, himself. To avoid any confusion on the audience’s part, the prologue emphatically underscores that both twins will be called Menaechmus. Got it? (47–48). Bringing us to the present, he reports that Menaechmus of Epidamnus (E) has grown up, married, and inherited his adopted father’s fortune. Menaechmus of Syracuse (S) (originally named Sosicles), meanwhile, has spent many long years searching for his brother and unwittingly arrives this day on his shores.

Following the prologue, we meet Peniculus, the parasite (77–109). A free man, but a slave to his appetite, he sponges food off of others in exchange for flattery. Peniculus has come to call on Menaechmus E, who storms out of his house berating his wife (matrona) – still offstage – for her incessant nagging and spying (110–122). With a wink to the audience, Menaechmus E proudly confirms her suspicions: he announces that he is off to dine with his prostitute (123–126) and reveals that he has stolen a cloak (palla) from his wife to give to her (127–134). Catching sight of Peniculus, Menaechmus E revels in his roguery, which the parasite praises in exchange for an invitation to the afternoon’s festivities. With some more off-colour banter about wives and whores, they make their way over to Erotium’s house next door (135–181).

Erotium, the prostitute, greets her lover with professional charm (182–187). Gifting her the pilfered palla, Menaechmus E pledges his love for his mistress and his hatred for his wife. He then asks her to prepare a lavish banquet before departing with Peniculus to attend to some business in the forum (188–217). Erotium summons Cylindrus, the cook, to prepare the feast and everyone leaves to go about their affairs (218–225).

Having thus set the stage and established the dynamics between Menaechmus E and four characters in his world – Peniculus, the matrona, Erotium and Cylindrus – the playwright finally introduces Menaechmus S at line 226. The travel-weary twin arrives from the harbour with his trusty slave, Messenio. He describes his arduous journey and reaffirms his steadfast commitment to finding his brother (226–246). Messenio is pessimistic, but pledges his support to his master. He warns him, however, to be on his guard in this wicked, decadent, (Epi)damned place (247–272).

At that very moment, Cylindrus returns from the market and initiates the first Mistaken Identity Bit (273–350). Taking him for his twin, the cook greets Menaechmus S and makes casual conversation about the banquet. Menaechmus S, of course, has no idea who Cylindrus is or what he’s talking about. Messenio assumes that the cook is trying to scam them. Puzzled by the exchange, Cylindrus tries to jog his memory, calling Menaechmus by his name and recalling his parasite, his prostitute, and even his house, pointing-distance from where they stand. Confusion ensues, seemingly confirming Messenio’s presumptions about Epidamnus and the scoundrels that live there.

Menaechmus S and Messenio scarcely have time to process the encounter with Cylindrus before Erotium enters and sets the second Mistaken Identity Bit in motion (351–445). She calls to Menaechmus S and attempts to seduce him indoors. The young man is baffled by this turn of events while Messenio dismisses it once more as a con. Erotium tries to set things straight by recounting the events of the morning in vivid detail – parasite, palla and all – and even correctly identifies Menaechmus S’s native land and lineage. She then hands him the wife’s cloak and asks him to have it altered. Confused but intrigued, Menaechmus S decides to play along. He goes indoors with Erotium, sending a disapproving Messenio away.

Next, Peniculus returns from the forum grumbling because he has lost track of Menaechmus E and, by extension, his free lunch (446–465). At that moment, he catches sight of Menaechmus S, wearing a garland and carrying the wife’s cloak, leaving Erotium’s house. The parasite deduces that his patron deliberately ditched him in order to dine alone with Erotium, prompting the third Mistaken Identity Bit (466–523). Menaechmus S, meanwhile, rejoices at his unexpected good fortune: not only has he enjoyed Erotium’s hospitality, but he has also made off with an expensive cloak! Fuming, Peniculus confronts Menaechmus S about his betrayal, which the young man naturally denies. They trade insults and Peniculus storms off, vowing that his patron will be sorry.

With his head still spinning, Menaechmus S is approached by yet another character from this strange new world: it is Erotium’s maid (ancilla), delivering a bracelet that Menaechmus E had also stolen from his wife. In a fourth Mistaken Identity Bit (524–558), the maid conveys Erotium’s request that he take it to the jeweller. Menaechmus S greedily accepts the bracelet and, laden with riches, he leaves to find Messenio and get out of town before his luck turns.

Tension mounting, the unnamed wife of Menaechmus E finally bursts onto the scene at line 559 with Peniculus in tow. She is furious with her husband for stealing from her and giving her things to his mistress. Wife and parasite position themselves just out of sight and prepare to ambush Menaechmus E, who presently returns from the forum (559–570). They eavesdrop as he mopes about the demands of the patron-client relationship and sulks about having squandered his day of play with Erotium, for whom he stole the cloak (571–601). Having heard his full confession, the wife steps out and lays into Menaechmus E for his infidelity and larceny. Peniculus piles on with complaints about his lost lunch, insisting that he saw Menaechmus E leaving Erotium’s house only moments ago. In a fifth Mistaken Identity Bit (602–664), Menaechmus E truthfully disavows that most recent encounter, while falsely denying all other accusations. When the plaintiffs persist, he finally gives in and promises to get the cloak back. The wife locks him out of the house until he does. Having fallen out of favour with patron and wife, the parasite stalks off to the forum to find a new meal ticket (665–667).

Left alone onstage, Menaechmus E cheekily boasts that he’s just as happy to be sent next door. Walking headlong into the sixth Mistaken Identity Bit (668–700), he greets Erotium and asks her to return the cloak. Growing increasingly annoyed with this nonsense, the prostitute asserts that she already gave him the palla along with a bracelet. Menaechmus E, of course, denies having seen her since he left for the forum that morning. Erotium thinks he’s trying to cheat her and sends him away. Confused and kicked out of both houses, Menaechmus E wanders offstage to make sense of his situation.

As one brothe...