- The Pot Of Gold Plautus Sparknotes Fahrenheit 451
- The Pot Of Gold Plautus Analysis
- The Pot Of Gold Plautus Sparknotes Summary
- The Pot Of Gold Plautus Summary
'Aulularia' is a Latin play by the early Roman
The Pot Of Gold Plautus Sparknotes Fahrenheit 451
Plot summary
The Pot of Gold or Aulularia by Plautus is a romantic Roman comedy based on a lost New Comedy written by the Greek playwright Menander. It employs stock characters including a miser, young lovers. Pseudolus is a play by the ancient Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus.It is one of the earliest examples of Roman literature.The play begins with the shortest prologue of any of the known plays of Plautus, though it is not known whether Plautus wrote this prologue himself or if it was added later.
Lars Familiaris, the
Euclio is persuaded to marry his daughter to his rich neighbor, an elderly bachelor named Magadorus, who happens to be the uncle of Lyconides. This leads to much by-play involving preparations for the nuptials. Eventually Lyconides and his slave appear, and Lyconides confesses to Euclio his ravishing of Phaedria. Lyconides’ slave manages to steal the by now notorious pot of gold. Lyconides confronts his slave about the theft.
At this point the manuscript breaks off. From surviving summaries of the play, we know that Euclio eventually recovers his pot of gold and gives it to Lyconides and Phaedria, who marry in a happy ending. In the Penguin Classics edition of the play, translator E.F. Watling actually wrote the ending as it might have originally been constructed, based on the summaries and a few surviving scraps of dialogue. Other writers down through the centuries have also written endings for the play, with somewhat varying results.
Key themes
The figure of the miser has been a
The play also ridicules the ancient bachelor Megadorus for his dream of marrying the nubile and far younger Phaedria. The silly business of preparing for the
The play also includes Plautus’ frequent theme of clever servants outwitting their supposed superiors. Not only does Lyconides’ slave manage to filch Euclio’s beloved gold, but Euclio’s housemaid Staphyla is shown as intelligent and kind in her attitude toward the unfortunately pregnant Phaedria.
Critical evaluation Install farsi fonts download.
Despite its incomplete form in surviving manuscripts, 'Aulularia' has attracted relatively favorable comment from critics. E.F. Watling called it a “peculiarly enjoyable and genial” comedy, and Plautus’ broad but witty satire on the monetary and sexual lusts of old men has been much appreciated. The happy ending takes the sting from what might have been too sour a satire, and the play focuses on the main action with few digressions or distractions.
No surviving Greek play seems to be a model for 'Aulularia', though the character Smicrines in 'Epitrepontes' by
Warenar
A Dutch play, 'Warenar', based on Alularia was written by
References
The Pot Of Gold Plautus Analysis
*'The Pot of Gold and Other Plays' by Plautus, translated and introduced by E.F. Watling, Penguin Classics 1965 ISBN 0-14-044149-2
The Pot Of Gold Plautus Sparknotes Summary
External links
The Pot Of Gold Plautus Summary
* [http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/aululariaeng.html English translation of 'Aulularia']
* [http://www.vroma.org/~plautus/aulu.main.html Original Latin version of 'Aulularia']
* [http://www.geocities.com/athens/academy/6422/rev0222.html Review of 'Aulularia' and E.F. Beastie boys flac. Watling’s translation]
* [http://www.apaclassics.org/AnnualMeeting/01mtg/abstracts/major.html Abstract of paper on endings to 'Aulularia' composed by later writers]