Titus Maccius Plautus, Bacchides

John Barsby (University of Otago)

Ed. by William John Dominik, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.1.2: Ancient Roman Writing and Culture (Republic and Empire), -750-476.
Vol. editors: Anca Dan (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL), Martine Diepenbroek (University of Johannesburg), William John Dominik (University of Otago), Giacomo Fedeli (University of Exeter), Victoria Fendel (University of Oxford), Thomas Habinek (University of Southern California), Emily Kneebone (University of Nottingham), Elodie Paillard (University of Sydney), Sophia Papaioannou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Guendalina Daniela Maria Taietti (University of Liverpool), Jula Wildberger (American University of Paris)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. -194 - c. -184

Places

Ancient Rome (Republic & Empire) (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Play

Resources

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Recommended Reading

Bacchides

(or

The Two Bacchises

) has not been one of Plautus’ most popular plays over the centuries, even though it possesses one of the greatest of Plautine ‘tricky slaves’ (

serui callidi

) in the character of Chrysalus. One reason for its comparative neglect may be that the opening of the play (150 lines or more) has been lost in the manuscript tradition, so that it has never been possible since antiquity to appreciate the play in its entirety. Another reason may be the generally low tone of the play, which ends with two fathers joining their two wayward sons in a brothel. This scarcely provides for the ‘comic closure’ or ‘happy ending’ which comedy seems to require, in which the errant characters see the error of their ways and the norms of society are restored.

The

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4539 words

Citation: Barsby, John. "Bacchides". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 January 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34724, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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Titus Maccius Plautus, Bacchides

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