What's Inside
This volume assembles the six surviving comedies of Terence, a collection of urban Athenian hijinks defined by long-lost daughters, secret pregnancies, and the tireless meddling of the servant class. The plays, including Andria, Eunuchus, and Phormio, follow a rigid geometry: young men fall in love with women they cannot afford or are not allowed to marry, while their fathers attempt to arrange financially sound matches. The resolution usually involves a sudden revelation of citizenship or a ring that proves an orphan is actually a neighbor's long-lost child, effectively legalizing the chaos through a series of last-minute weddings.
Works & figures
- Phormio
A clever parasite who uses legal loopholes to outwit wealthy Athenian fathers. (in “Phormio; or, the Scheming Parasite”)
- Thraso
A boastful, arrogant captain who attempts to retrieve a slave girl by force. (in “Eunuchus; or, the Eunuch”)
- Davus
A servant who navigates his master's conflicting romantic and familial obligations. (in “Andria; or, the Fair Andrian”)
- Chremes
An aged Athenian juggling two families and a secret identity in Lemnos. (in “Phormio; or, the Scheming Parasite”)
- Glycerium
A young woman supposed to be a courtesan's sister, later revealed as a citizen. (in “Andria; or, the Fair Andrian”)
- Bacchis
A courtesan who proves she is more honorable than the respectable families around her. (in “Hecyra; the Mother-in-law”)
What it's really about
- Anagnorisis
- The recognition of lost kin that resolves the plot.
- Pietas
- The conflict between a son's duty and his romantic desires.
Why it's memorable
- A man in a eunuch suit successfully infiltrating a private household.
- A ring stolen during a drunken night becoming the proof of a child's legitimacy.
Where to start
Start with Phormio; or, the Scheming Parasite to see the most active use of Athenian legal trickery as a comedic engine.
For your book club
- Is the frequent use of coincidence a narrative weakness or a commentary on small-town life?
- How does the status of the 'parasite' character reflect the social hierarchy of the time?