For Thursday, September 25, please read Plautus' The Prisoners (Captivi). Cite a line from this play that shows something about Roman society or Roman history one might not learn from a more conventional historical source, e.g., something about day-to-day life in Rome, something about Roman values, or something about the Roman sense of humor. Explain why you chose this particular line. Alternatively, note something Plautus has done with one of the five "narrative essentials" (plot, character, theme, setting, and tone) that shows something important about Roman history.
Thursday, September 18, 2025
More Plautus (The Prisoners)
For Thursday, September 25, please read Plautus' The Prisoners (Captivi). Cite a line from this play that shows something about Roman society or Roman history one might not learn from a more conventional historical source, e.g., something about day-to-day life in Rome, something about Roman values, or something about the Roman sense of humor. Explain why you chose this particular line. Alternatively, note something Plautus has done with one of the five "narrative essentials" (plot, character, theme, setting, and tone) that shows something important about Roman history.
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The first thing that caught my attention was the fact that there are apparently professional table-companions during this time. As stated on page 59, they are never invited, instead being hired out. This is, in itself, a business, with busy and slow times.
ReplyDeleteI cannot say for certain that this is the same today, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was a professional service where one could hire people to attend their dinner parties.
These people must be charismatic to a degree or else they run the risk of becoming luggage handlers, something else that I failed to even consider would be a career in Rome.
The line of dialogue that showed me the most about Roman society was actually in the prologue. On page 59 the unknown speaker says "...and it contains no smutty lines that you would be ashamed to repeat. There is no double-crossing pimp in this play- nor loose women- nor bragging soldier." It goes on to then put peoples mind at ease that all fighting will take place off stage as well. I think this helps paint a picture o what Roman character was like in this period. Mainly because everything he ensures the audience is not in the play is things that we deal with in every type of media and some people find immoral to read, or watch. This shows that the Romans had a strong moral compass, and didn't fall into temptation often, and even actively tried to avoid it.
ReplyDeleteA line that I found interesting in regards to Roman life was one spoken by Hegio on the end of Pg. 60 and beginning of 61. to a guard who was monitoring prisoners: "those two prisoners I bought yesterday out of the spoils of war are to be given separate hand cuffs... But see that they are carefully watched, of course, A prisoner given partial liberty is like a wild bird; the first chance of escape he's off, and you'll never catch him again." I found this interesting because not only does it outline the buying of slaves that were spoils of war, but it also shows the fact that slaves do escape from their masters. It makes me wonder what these escaped slaves would then do? Or if Rome had their own laws for runaway slaves.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stuck out to me was on page 67-68. Tyndarus and Hegio are discussing the "terms" you could call it of Tyndarus's slavery. Tyndarus claims he treated slaves well in his country so he believes he will get treated well. He also tells Heigo that his son is a slave at his old home. Therefore, he tells Hiego that if he treats Tyndarus well, he believes that the gods will make it so his son is treated well. He says "There is surely a God above, who sees and hears all we do; how he will care for your son over there will depend on your treatment of me here; he will reward kindness with kindness, I am sure; and unkindness with its like." This shows how the Roman people believed that if they do good, they would be rewarded with good. That if they held good values and morals, they would be rewarded with good unto themselves. One thing Plautus does with plot/characters also helps show something about Roman history. The prisoners or slaves in the play are from another country or place. They became slaves after being defeated by the Romans, which was very common in the Roman empire.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the Prisoners the one line that Stuck out to me during it was said by Tyndarus and said on Page 77 " Just because you have been reduced to poverty in your own country and haven't a penny to live on you want to make out that everyone is in the same case. It doesn't surprise me beggars are always spiteful and envious of respectable people." I think that this quote and line said by Tyndarus just goes to show how low they see the lowest class of Rome and how they treat them. I think that they see them like this every single day and he puts that in here because that's just how they go about their day so its normal for them. I think that every roman back then thought so highly of themself and people on the same level and not so much for the people below them which i think doesn't create a great system and Rome.
ReplyDeleteIn The Prisoners, Hegio says: “And how do you think a father feels, at losing his only son, if his loss can so affect a stranger?” This moment highlights how Roman grief was not portrayed as a private burden but as something so powerful it could move even outsiders. I found that interesting in comparison to modern culture. By drawing attention to the reaction of a stranger, Plautus shows that the loss of a child was understood as an overall human experience, crossing the normal social status.
ReplyDeleteThis tells us something about Roman values that a normal history textbook might overlook. Historians record wars and the capture of prisoners, but here we see the emotional weight those losses carried, and its not just for families but for the wider community. The line suggests that Romans expected empathy from others, even those not directly connected to the tragedy. Plautus’ play then shows a society that despite its rigid hierarchies it still recognized shared human feelings of compassion and sorrow.
Dylan Schimke
ReplyDeleteA line that stuck with me was, "a man is a god to another man, if he knows his duty." I found that this represented roman values because it captures duty and loyalty to others. I think it shows that romans thought that no matter your role, you must fulfill your duties to whomever you are serving.
"I ran away, I kidnapped your son, and I sold him." Page 92 People became slaves for many reasons including being taken as prisoners of war, but I believe this quote gives insight that nearly anyone could be a slave. People could very well just be taken and sold into slavery for very little reason at all. It had taken years for Hegio to track down his sons and when he found out he was lied to, he thought he would never find either of them. Other people sold into slavery could likely not be recovered.
ReplyDeleteOn pages 67–68, Tyndareus tells Hegio, “There is surely a God above, who sees and hears all we do; how he will care for your son over there will depend on your treatment of me here; he will reward kindness with kindness, I am sure; and unkindness with its like.” This line stood out to me because it shows the Roman belief that moral actions bring divine rewards or punishments. It means that showing mercy and fairness, even to a slave, could influence one’s own fate and family. Plautus also reveals something historical through the setup of the play that the enslaved characters are foreigners captured in war, which let you see how Rome frequently turned conquered peoples into slaves as the empire expanded.
ReplyDeleteOne part I found interesting goes as follows: Tyndarus: "A passport?" Hegio: "He'll have to show it to the army authorities, in order to obtain permission to leave the country." I know that this play is set in Greece, but this made me wonder about Rome, and if they had passports there as well. Either way, I was very surprised to see passports even mentioned in the ancient world. When I think back to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, I definitely do not imagine them having to use passports. In a way, this very peculiar quote speaks to the organization of the countries back then. It's impressive to me that they had passports (if they really did), considering how long ago it really was. So, not a huge reflection on Roman morality or character or anything like that, just an interesting detail I found about society back then.
ReplyDeletePhilocrates says on page 67 about Theodoromides, "Whenever he makes a sacrifice to his divine protector, all the utensils he uses for the ceremony have to be of the cheapest pottery, lest the holy god himself should steal them."
ReplyDeleteThis shows a few interesting things. It points out that they believe they have divine protectors; specific gods that watched out for individuals, different from the over arching gods like Jupiter who is busy doing other things and not so concerned with people individually. Even though this god is supposed to protect him, Theodoromides expects the god to steal from him if the god sees something he wants. Even though this "protector" is not trustworthy, Theodoromides will continue to sacrifice to him, probably because he doesn't want to get on the god's bad side.
-Emily Ekanger