Plot Summary
An Analysis of Plautus' 'The Pot of Gold' themes in pot of gold /themes in pot of gold pot of gold plautus theme of pot of gold the pot of gold story plautus pot of gold translation euclio's.
Lars Familiaris, the household deity of Euclio, an old man with a marriageable daughter named Phaedria, begins the play with a prologue about how he allowed Euclio to discover a pot of gold buried in his house. Euclio is then shown almost maniacally guarding his gold from real and imagined threats. Unknown to Euclio, Phaedria is pregnant by a young man named Lyconides. Phaedria is never seen on stage, though at a key point in the play the audience hears her painful cries in labor.
- 'Aulularia' is a Latin play by the early Roman playwright Titus Maccius Plautus.The title has been translated as 'The Pot of Gold', and the plot revolves around a literal pot of gold that the miser ly protagonist, Euclio, guards zealously.
- Plautus' play, Pot of Gold (Latin: Auluaria) would have sounded like a funny to his Roman readers, too. Aulularia is a diminutive word translating to 'little pot.' Like many of Plautus' plays, it.
- The play begins with a monologue by Euclio's household deity. He tells us that Euclio's grandfather once entrusted him with the guardianship of a pot of gold. The god has protected the secret of.
Euclio is persuaded to marry his daughter to his rich neighbor, an elderly bachelor named Megadorus, 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 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 (one version was produced by Antonio Urceo in the late 15th century, another by Martinus Dorpius in the early 16th century, etc.).
'Aulularia' is a Latin play by the early Roman
Plot summary
Lars Familiaris, the
The Pot Of Gold Plautus Sparknotes Summary
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. Mt4 binary download. 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
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 and Other Plays' by Plautus, translated and introduced by E.F. Watling, Penguin Classics 1965 ISBN 0-14-044149-2
Plautus The Pot Of Gold Summary
External links
Plautus The Pot Of Gold
* [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. Watling’s translation]
* [http://www.apaclassics.org/AnnualMeeting/01mtg/abstracts/major.html Abstract of paper on endings to 'Aulularia' composed by later writers]